PILOTS



Aeronautic enthusiasts, sharing many values together, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg were destined to meet, in order to take on the challenge of flying only on solar energy. Bertrand, the visionary, conceived the Solar Impulse project. André, the methodical entrepreneur, has been managing it since its inception in 2003. Out of their association, a revolutionary high tech machine came into being little by little, the symbol of the new technologies and ambassador of renewable energies and energy economies.
Bertrand Piccard - President and initiator of the project




Descendant of a dynasty of explorers and scientists, who have conquered the heights and the depths of our planet, Bertrand Piccard seems predestined to perpetuate one of the greatest family adventures of the 20th century. As a psychiatrist, aeronaut and internationally renowned lecturer, president of the humanitarian foundation "Winds of Hope" and roving ambassador for the United Nations, he aspires to combine his family scientific heritage with his commitment to exploring the great adventure of life.

Pioneer of free flight and ULM (Unified Life Model) in Europe, winner of the first transatlantic balloon race (Chrysler Challenge 1992), Bertrand Piccard was also the initiator of the Breitling Orbiter project. His success as inboard commander of the first non-stop round the world balloon flight in 1999 pushed him to the front of the stage as a “savanturier” (scholar-adventurer).

Decorated with the Legion of Honour, the Olympic Order and the highest distinctions of the International Aeronautical Federation, the National Geographic Society and the Explorer's Club, Bertrand Piccard launched the Solar Impulse project, to take on a new challenge: flying round the world in an airplane propelled uniquely by solar energy, without fuel or pollution, in order to promote the immense potential of renewable energies and their new technologies.
André Borschberg – CEO and project co-founder

Graduate of the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in mechanical engineering and of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in management sciences, André Borschberg has gained a solid experience as manager and founder of companies.

Fascinated by aviation from an early age, André Borschberg trained as a pilot at the Swiss Air Force School, first of all on Venoms, then Hunters and Tigers, airplanes that he has piloted for more than twenty years. Today, he collects professional pilot’s licences for airplanes and helicopters.

His strong points: the organisation, management and development of companies. He was trained at McKinsey’s for 5 years, one of the world’s leading management consultancies. He co-founded a risk capital company, started two technology companies, and became involved on the social front, on behalf of the Restos du Cœur and helping the sick. His wide range of professional competencies, versatility and perseverance enable him to succeed wherever he goes: from finance to marketing, from engineering problems to human resources.

André Borschberg is a member of such notable associations as the prestigious Young Presidents' Organization and the Organisation of Chief Executives. CEO of Solar Impulse and Bertrand Piccard’s partner from the project’s inception, he is a passionate company manager, who has established and motivated a team of 55 people within Solar Impulse, composed of the best specialists coming from highly varied origins and backgrounds.

André Borschberg is married to Yasemin and has three children aged 27, 24 and 20 years.