Solar Impulse sets world record on its way to Ahmedabad

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2015-03-11

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Bertrand Piccard is the first to fly a solar plane in Asia and set a distance world record by flying 1,468 kilometers

The second leg from Muscat to Ahmedabad represented Bertrand Piccard’s first test on the round-the-world solar flight tour. A test he managed to complete in 13 hours and 20 minutes while at the same time setting a world record: the plane traveled 1,468 kilometers, the longest ever distance for a solar powered plane flying point to point.

However, both Piccard and his co-pilot Andre Borschberg were more enamoured with the enthusiastic welcome they received upon their arrival in India, adding ‘..It is an honour of being welcomed by the state of Gujurat, a visionary state which leads India in terms of solar installation.’ Here’s a look at the warm reception they received:

: This hangar is Solar Impulse 2’s temporary home in Ahmedabad

: Under the wing of the Solar Impulse 2, illuminated at night

: Close-up of the cockpit as the plane is moved into the hangar

: Solar Impulse co-pilot Bertrand Piccard speak to the press after completing his record-breaking flight from Muscat, Oman to Ahmedabad, India (his co-pilot André Borschberg looks on).

: Solar Impulse co-pilot Bertrand Piccard signs a souvenir plane

: Solar Impulse co-pilot André Borschberg speaks to the press in Ahmedabad, India

: Solar Impulse co-pilot André Borschberg speaks to the press in Ahmedabad, India

: The Solar Impulse 2 on the runway in Ahmedabad, India

: Solar Impulse pilots Bertrand Piccard (left) and André Borschberg speak to the press in Ahmedabad, India, after Piccard landed the first solar plane in Asia.

: Solar Impulse co-pilots Bertrand Piccard (left) and André Borschberg are greeted with Gujrati hospitality after landing in Ahmedabad, India.

: Solar Impulse goes ABB red!

: ABB India’s Subir Pal (Head, Discrete Automation and Motion Division) interviews Tamara Tursijan, one of the three ABB engineers embedded in the Solar Impulse team.

: ABB’s Tamara Tursijan in action, embedded in Solar Impulse’s ground crew.

: ABB invited students from across Gujarat to the Solar Impulse hangar to learn more about this innovative project and, of course, shoot a few selfies.

Please hold

After flying in a holding pattern above Ahmedabad International airport for a couple hours, Air Traffic Control and favourable wind conditions finally allowed the Solar Impulse 2 to land at 11.25pm local time last night. A visibly tired but elated Bertrand Piccard was warmly welcomed on the runway by his co-adventurer Andre Borschberg, Linus Von Castelmur,the Swiss Ambassador to India and a government delegation from the state of Gujurat. With the second of twelve legs of the global solar flight now complete, Piccard’s 13-hour journey represents another victory for Solar Impulse and its supporters.

Tweet by @ABBgroupnews: “Better than a victory sign, this is the hospitality of Gujarat!” @bertrandpiccard & @solarimpulse land in Ahmedabad

The future is clean and you can be part of it

Piccard’s message to the throng of journalists at today’s press conference was clear – India plays a key role in helping to spread the ‘future is clean’ theme of renewable energy and clean technology. Piccard added, ‘If you protect the environment with clean technologies, you create jobs, make profit for the industry, you create new markets with new technologies that the world desperately needs for a better quality of life.’ This message also underscores ABB’s mission, which is to provide ‘power and productivity for a better world’.

On behalf of ABB, Subir Pal, President of the Discrete Automation and Motion at ABB India, warmly welcomed the Solar Impulse team to India, and added, ‘The future is clean, efficient and inclusive. ABB is proud to be part of history in the making. This is not about aviation alone. The same technologies will trigger a wider spectrum of technologies that touch the lives of everyone.’ An example of this is ABB’s solar pump technology. To find out more about how this technology is crucial to improving the lives of people across the country, watch the video below…