Washington - In noisy,
energetic New York City, the pilots of a spindly plane that looks more toy than
jet hope to grab attention in a surprising way: By being silent and consuming
little energy.
This
revolutionary solar-powered plane is about to end a slow and symbolic journey
across America by quietly buzzing the Statue of Liberty and landing in a city
whose buildings often obscure the power-giving sun. The plane's top speed of
73km/h is so pokey, it would earn honks on the highway.
The
plane is called Solar Impulse. And it leaves from Washington on a commuter-like
hop planned for Saturday, depending on the weather. It will take hours for the
journey and offers none of the most basic comforts of flying.
But
that's OK. The aircraft's creators say its purpose really has little to do with
flying.
They
view themselves as green pioneers - promoting lighter materials, solar-powered
batteries, and conservation as sexy and adventurous. Theirs is the high-flying
equivalent of the Tesla electric sports car. They want people to feel a thrill
while saving the planet. Think Charles Lindbergh meets Rachel Carson.
Bertrand
Piccard
And
if there's one person who knows about adventure and what it means to Earth,
it's Bertrand Piccard.
He's
one of the two pilots who take turns flying Solar Impulse. His grandfather was
the first man to see the curve of the Earth as a pioneering high-altitude
balloon flier more than 80 years ago.
His
father more than half a century ago first took a submarine to the deepest and
most inaccessible ocean trench on Earth.
And
now in the 21st century, outside the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum annex
not too far from a retired space shuttle, Piccard says there's no truly new
place on Earth for explorers to pioneer. At 55, he's tried.
He
already was the first person to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon, but
that wasn't really enough. So Piccard found a way to explore by looking inward
and acting globally.
"It's
an exploration of new ways of thinking," said Piccard, who is also a
psychiatrist. "It's important to understand that pioneering is not only
what you do. It's how you think. It's a state of mind more than action."
Clean
technology
For
him, there was no better cause than clean technology.
"After
a conquest of the planet, the 21st century should be about improving the
quality of life," Piccard said. And the lightweight beanpole that's called
Solar Impulse "is something spectacular in order to capture the attention
of the people".
"If
you make a solar bicycle to drive, nobody would care. If you make a solar
plane, everybody cares. Everybody wants to see it."
Europe
saw it first with a test flight from Switzerland and Spain to Morocco last
year. This year's US flight is another trial run that's really preparation for
a 2015 around-the-world trip with an upgraded version of the plane.
Solar
Impulse has been to San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati and
Washington. All that's left is New York's JFK Airport and Piccard talked about
having to wait his turn to land with all the big jets.
"We're
flying the most extraordinary airplane in the world," Piccard said.
Energy
efficiency
Although
it's promoted as solar-powered, what really pushes the envelope with this plane
is its miserly energy efficiency, said Solar Impulse CEO Andre Borschberg, the
plane's other pilot.
Parts
of its wings are three times lighter than paper. Its one-person cockpit is
beyond tiny. Borschberg lowers himself gingerly into it for a television
camera, grimaces, and practically wears the plane it is so snug on him.
Most
of the 11 000 solar cells are on the super-long wings that seem to stretch as
far as a jumbo jet's. It weighs about the size of a small car, and soars at 10
000m with what is essentially the power of a small motorised scooter.
When
it landed at Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington after midnight
on 15 June, its wings were lit with 16 LED lights that used less power than two
100-watt bulbs.
"We
can use much less energy than we use today without the sacrifice,"
Borschberg said. "And that's really important."
People
won't sacrifice to save energy or the planet, but if they are smart they don't
have to, Borschberg said. That's why he and Piccard pointedly talk about
"clean technologies" not "green technologies". They think
"green" has the image of sacrifice.
The
only sacrifice with the plane is staying up in the air alone for 20 hours in
such a small space.
And
even then, the two pilots don't call it a sacrifice. Borschberg said after a
while it feels homey and enveloping and it's hard to get out of the cocoon.
Sitting
for eight hours in an economy class seat on a commercial airplane is cramped;
doing what you love by sitting three times longer in this plane isn't, Piccard
added.
The
plane is slow
The
flights are long because here's another thing about Solar Impulse: It's slow.
So
that has meant a lot of 04:00 take-offs in the dark and landings well after
midnight. But Borschberg, who will pilot the last leg from Washington to New
York, is hoping for a daylight approach to New York City so he can get a photo
opportunity with the Statue of Liberty.
Borschberg
and Piccard both say this is not about clean-energy planes for the future.
What
they're doing is more likely to improve energy efficiency on the ground, in
cars and homes, agrees US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz who met with the pair
to talk up future energy a couple days after they landed at Dulles.
Impressive
stunt
Still,
questions of practicality come up.
"It's
clearly a stunt," said John Reilly, co-director of MIT's Joint Program on
the Science and Policy of Global Change. "And it's clearly an
attention-grabbing stunt. The idea that you could fly an airplane powered by
the sun is kind of hard to believe. So doing it is an impressive stunt, I
suppose."
But
these types of gimmicks do pay off at times, Reilly said.
It
will pay off more than promoting solar and other renewable energy technologies
as economic stimulus, which is what happened four years ago, said University of
Colorado science policy professor Roger Pielke Jr.
He
compared it to giant prizes that encourage private companies to go into space
or build robot-driven cars, which are proving successful.
"I
don't think it's just a stunt," Pielke said. "The idea is that you're
pushing boundaries and you're putting on shows for people and achieving
milestones."
This,
Pielke said, is "an essential part of technological innovation. It gives
people an opportunity to attempt what previously was thought of as
impossible"
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