The organisers of the International Paris Air Show are delighted and extremely proud to announce the presence of the solar aeroplane SOLAR IMPULSE as the show’s “Special Guest”.

Air show premiere
This will be the first air show appearance made by the revolutionary aeroplane, culmination of a genuine human and technological adventure, which made a historic 26-hour day and night flight without fuel, powered only by solar energy, in July 2010. Bertrand PICCARD, André BORSCHBERG and their team were delighted to accept the invitation offered for the event by the Paris Air Show, the world’s number 1 air show.

Daily flights
From 20 to 26 June, visitors to the show will be able look closely at SOLAR IMPULSE on the ground, and each morning, so long as weather conditions are favourable, admire its majestic flying displays whilst marvelling at the silence of its electric motors.

A pioneering, innovative spirit
With the participation of SOLAR IMPULSE, the Paris Air Show continues its tradition of presenting the most innovative prototypes, which have marked the history of the show for more than 100 years, thereby sharing its passion and dreams with visitors.

As a showcase for the boldest technological advances, the Paris Air Show is in perfect harmony with the culture which unites the SOLAR IMPULSE team in its human quest for innovation, its search for new technology, its desire to respect the environment and its motivation for sustainable development.

A real technical challenge
Given its 64 metre wingspan (as wide as an Airbus A340), light weight and extremely slow speed, organising flying displays by the SOLAR IMPULSE HB-SIA at the Paris Air Show is also a real aviation challenge, which will be faced jointly on a daily basis by teams from both the Show and SOLAR IMPULSE.

About Solar Impulse
SOLAR IMPULSE HB-SIA, the first aeroplane designed to fly day and night without requiring fuel and without producing carbon emissions, demonstrates the enormous potential held by new technologies in terms of energy savings and renewable energy production. Seven years of intensive work, calculations and tests by a team of 70 people and 80 partners have contributed to producing this revolutionary carbon fibre aeroplane, with a wingspan as wide as that of an Airbus A340 (63.4m) and a weight equivalent to that of an average family car. It is the largest aeroplane of its weight ever to have been built. The 12,000 solar cells integrated into the wing supply four electric motors (maximum power 10CV each) with renewable energy and charge the 400kg lithium polymer batteries during the day, enabling the aircraft to fly at night.

The SOLAR IMPULSE project is supported, among others, by: Solvay, Omega, Deutsche Bank and Schindler as Principal Partners; Bayer Material Science and Altran as Official Partners; EPFL (Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology) as Official Scientific Consultant and Dassault-Aviation as Aviation Consultant.

Solar Impulse press release