Dübendorf, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Solar Impulse pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will each
make a 25-hour flight, one after the other, at the controls of a new
flight simulator from 12-16 May. The simulated flights will be the first for the solar-powered plane project and will take place in the construction hangar of the prototype HB-SIA at the aerodrome of Dübendorf near Zurich.

Photo (click on image to view larger) construction hall – © Solar Impulse/Stéphane Gros

The purpose is to test a life-size model of the cockpit, surrounded by five panoramic screens, “to validate the ergonomics and to verify the functioning of the man-machine interface in conditions as near to real as possible,” according to the Solar Impulse team. “The HB-SIA’s flight routines, the decisions, breakdowns and incidents will also serve as training under the control of the mission team.

The mission simulator has been developed by the Altran engineers, which will enable a virtual plane to fly in real meteorological conditions, relying on complex algorithms.