A world solar flight record was set on April 14, 2009 when Eric Raymond piloted his Sunseeker II solar airplane across the Swiss Alps. Almost 100 years after the first flight across the Swiss Alps by an airplane, American Eric Raymond became the first person to pilot a solar aircraft over the Alps.
“It was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done, but it was also the most beautiful flight I have ever made,” Raymond explained of his record breaking solar flight.
The record solar flight was not without some high altitude drama though. Raymond encountered cloudy conditions and even a snowstorm. After climbing to 13,700 ft Raymond encountered a wall of clouds.
“…I had to fly between towering cumulonimbus clouds. I was in bright sun, when I noticed that I was flying through large snowflakes,” he explained.
“I was climbing at full power, but the clouds were rising faster. It was snowing on me, even though I was in the sun! Desperately flying around in my shrinking trap I found a small hole, where I could see the ground. I turned off the motor, set the airbrakes, and spiralled down 7000 ft, until I was just under the clouds,” he explained.
The flight from Buttwil, Switzerland to Collegno, Italy took less than 5.5 hours in total.
The Sunseeker II is flying over Europe to demonstrate the viability of renewable energy sources. The Euro-solar tour plans to cover the length of Italy, down to Mount Etna on the island of Sicily, then east over the Austrian Dolomites, through Hungary and into Slovenia.
The Sunseeker II will also be flying and on display during the World Air Games 2009 to be held in Torino, Italy (June 6-14).
Visit: http://www.solar-flight.com/
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