On 29 September Markus Scherdel was awarded the Ivan C. Kincheloe prize by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in Anaheim, California. The award is offered each year to outstanding professionals and members of the SETP that have conducted remarkable test flights.

As Solar Impulse’s test pilot, Markus was the first to have proven that the aircraft can fly. It was a memorable moment when, in the icy month of December 2009, Markus sat in HB-SIA’s open cockpit (the canopy was yet to be installed), initiated the aircraft’s propellers and began to advance on the runway. In just a few moments, the prototype made what could seem like a small jump of joy: Solar Impulse did its first flea hop!

As soon as it was established that HB-SIA could indeed lift itself off the ground, Markus proceeded to take it for its first outing on 7 April 2010. The maiden flight lasted 87 minutes and went up to an altitude of 1’500 meters. Markus undertook a number of maneuvers meant to test the airplane’s reactiveness to certain commands, the responsiveness of the engines and the landing gear. If anybody watched the flight, they would have seen what looked like the world’s first aeronautic convertible because, devoid of the canopy, the cockpit was just a metal skeleton with a pilot in the center. Brrrr!

But Markus didn’t suffer from the cold or from attacks of kamikaze flies. As he mentions in his interview , he might have just had a slight feeling of victory similar to that of an Olympian and I don’t blame him: HB-SIA, a prototype initially designed to fly day and night has entered the annals of history as the first solar airplane to connect two continents: Europe to Africa. 

President and initiator of Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard was offered the 2012 Swiss Ambassador’s Award by Ambassador of Switzerland in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), H.E. Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart.

This honorable award was offered as a sign of recognition for Bertrand’s pioneering spirit in the creation of one of Switzerland’s key technological innovation projects and for the knowledge and experience shared with the United Arab Emirates that have fostered deeper bilateral relations between the Switzerland and these Gulf countries.

Bertrand has developed a relationship with the UAE particularly in the context of several World Future Energy Summits in Abu Dhabi as well as during the First European Future Energy Summit in Geneva in 2011. 

Judging by the reactions of Moroccans in the weeks that followed, it seems that the whole population must have watched the TV coverage of Bertrand and André receiving their decorations from King Mohammed VI. It was during the celebration of the Feast of the Throne that the King of Morocco solemnly conferred on Solar Impulse’s founders and pilots the title of Officer of the Order of the Alawites*, congratulating them for the success of this summer’s flight missions. 

There were some warm exchanges, our pilots expressing to the King their admiration for the Moroccan solar energy program, and the King thanking them for the enthusiasm generated by the arrival of Solar Impulse inMorocco.

For Bertrand and André, this decoration belongs to the whole team, on whose work and admirable dedication the success was based.

*The Order Wissam Al-’Awi symbolizes the King of Morocco’s recognition for civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism or contributed significantly to the Moroccan state.

As André Borschberg returned from his first attempt to conquer the Moroccan desert, Bertrand Piccard jumped on a flight to the capital city of the United States. In fact, Bertrand, with his two siblings Thierry and Marie-Laure, have been invited to collect the Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society bestowed on their father Jacques Piccard –explorer and oceanographer- posthumously.

The event will take place in Washington D.C on Thursday 14^th of June and will also be an occasion to celebrate the 125th year since the founding of the event’s host, the National Geographic Society. The Medal will be presented by James Cameron, film Director (Titanic, Avater, and others), and Don Walsh, explorer, oceanographer and Jacques Piccard’s companion during the exploration of the world’s deepest point, Mariana Trench.   

More than a record, the dive was a milestone for the protection of the environment: by proving the existence of life where nobody expected it, this discovery pushed the governments to ban the dumping of toxic waste into the deepest trenches.

Just like August Piccard with the invention of the pressurized chamber and first trip to the stratosphere (1931) and Jacques Piccard with the first exploration of the depths of the ocean (1960), Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have proven the importance to act upon one’s ideas even when they might sound unfeasible.

Of course, working with him doesn’t mean that I see him every day… So it was a good opportunity to spend some time together.

For those who haven't heard of the "Ecrans de l'Aventure", this is a public film festival catering for visual media professionals, as well as those addicted to exploration, adventure, travel and distant horizons. This festival is not exactly unknown at Solar Impulse as, back in 1998, Bertrand received the Peter Bird/SPB Adventure Trophy after his 2^nd round-the-world attempt in a balloon, to encourage him to keep trying. Then, in 1999, he was awarded the Adventurer of the Year Golden Fleece along with Brian Jones after their successful round-the-world trip in Orbiter III.

The reception event provided a backdrop for some emotional meetings, notably with Bernard Voyer, explorer and chairman of the jury, who has been to all 3 poles, and Anne Quémeré, who crossed the Pacific in a Kiteboat, to mention only two. After the screening of the documentary, Henri de Gerlache who directed it, and André faced an enthusiastic audience and a barrage of questions.

One of the surprises of the weekend was the Jury's "Special Mention" for the "Wings of the Sun". Congratulations Henri! Last but not least, Hugues de Wavrin, Vice-president of La Guilde, this year presented André with the Adventurer of the Year Golden Fleece for the 26 hour flight, which is shown in the documentary.

These awards recognise adventurers, male or female, and sometimes even teams who show exceptional commitment in expeditions of real endurance.

It was a great moment to share this team award with many of our engineers. They really deserve to be under the spot lights as this project needs so much commitments, hard work, innovative ideas and also risk taking.

German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics (DGLR) is a German aerospace society. It was founded in 1912 under the name of Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Flugtechnik. It is the second oldest technical and scientific society in aerospace in the world.