SolarImpulse Testflight

SolarImpulse II leaves its home base, Payerne Airfield, behind.
SolarImpulse II leaves its home base, Payerne Airfield, behind.

July 1, Deputy Chief of Mission Jeffrey R. Cellars attended one of the first test flights of Solar Impulse II, a Swiss long-range solar-powered aircraft project.  The project, which is led by Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard and Swiss businessman André Borschberg, aims to circumnavigate the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power.

DCM Jeffrey R. Cellars closely watching the plane taking off.
DCM Jeffrey R. Cellars closely watching the plane taking off.