The decade from 2010 to 2019 saw some remarkably ambitious initiatives in all realms of aviation. While some, like the creation of the Gulfstream G650 ultra long-range jet, were spectacular successes, others, like the saga of the Solar Impulse global giants, were less so. Still, they reminded us that great accomplishments come only after overcoming great obstacles, which makes the successes all the sweeter.
9. Solar Impulse 2
In 2015 a pair of Swiss pilots, Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, flew the solar powered giant, Solar Impulse 2, around the world. The flight, which was intended to showcase the possibilities of solar energy, did just that. The plane, which was powered by nothing but the sun, was very large, very light and had huge wings designed to serve both as solar collectors and to give the plane great lift. The lumbering giant, which cruised at just over 40 mph, successfully circumnavigated the globe, the first solar power plane to do it. But the journey took almost a year and a half of stops and starts to do that. In the end the Solar Impulse served as much as a showcase of the grand limitations of solar power, a message surely not intended by the team.
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