May 2010 covers_Covers.qxd - World Airnews

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SOLAR IMPULSE WRITES A NEW CHAPTER IN AVIATION HISTORY APRIL 7, <strong>2010</strong> will go down in the annals of aviation history as the day on which the first flight of the prototype Solar Impulse was made, culminating seven years of intensive work, calculations, simulations and tests to build the completely new carbon fibre, solar-powered aircraft. The Solar Impulse left the runway at Payerne airfield, in Switzerland, at exactly 10h27 watched by thousands of spectators from all over the country who had come to witness the historic event. Registered HB-SIA, the aircraft climbed slowly to a height of just under 4 000 feet (1 200 metres). The next 87 minutes saw Solar Impulse test pilot, Markus Scherdel, spend familiarising himself with the prototype’s flight behaviour and performing the initial flight exercises before making the first landing. The execution of these various manoeuvres which included turns simulating the approach phase, was designed to get a feel for the aircraft and verify its controllability. “This first flight was for me a very intense moment!” exclaimed Scherdel, still under the emotion of the event, when he stepped down 34 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY <strong>2010</strong>. from the aircraft. “The HB-SIA behaved just as the flight simulator told us! Despite its immense size and feather weight, the aircraft’s controllability matches our expectations!” A delighted André Borschberg, CEO and cofounder of the project, had this to say: “This first mission was the most risky phase of the entire project. One hour and 27 minutes of intense emotion after seven years of research, testing and perseverance. Never has an airplane as large and as light as this flown before! “The aim was to verify the prototype’s behaviour in flight and to test its reaction to various manoeuvres. The success of this first flight allows us to envisage the further programme with greater serenity!” he added. Echoing his sentiments, Solar Impulse chairman and initiator, Bertrand Piccard, added: “We still have a long way to go until the night flights and an even longer way before flying round the world, but today, thanks to the extraordinary work of an entire team, an essential step towards achieving our vision has been taken. “Our future depends on our ability to convert rapidly to the use of renewable energies. Solar Impulse is intended to demonstrate what can be done already today by using these energies and applying new technologies that can save natural resources,” he said. A few months earlier, the Solar Impulse had lifted from the runway during taxi tests, but that flight was described as a mere “flea hop” and not logged as an official maiden flight. Involved in the project are 70 people and 80 partner companies, among which are the main ones: Solvay, Omega and Deutsche Bank; its official partner; Bayer Material Science; its official scientific partner; EPFL, its engineering partner Altran, and its advisory aircraft manufacturer, Dassault-Aviation. With its wingspan comparable to that of an Airbus A340, namely 63,4 metres and its weight similar to that of an average car (1 600 kg), no aircraft so large yet so light has ever been built before. Some 12 000 solar cells are built into its wing, supplying the four electric motors with a maximum output of 10 hp with renewable energy and charging the lithium-polymer (400 kg) batteries during the day to allow the solarpowered aircraft to fly at night. Q
NEW TRANS-CONTINENTAL MEDICAL EVACUATION PARTNERSHIP HARDLY HAD the ink dried on the paperwork sealing a brand new mutualservice agreement between RMSI MEDEVAC and Netcare 911 when the first major, joint trans-continental, mercy flight between the two large aero-medical evacuation specialists was undertaken. Reflecting on the events that culminated in what is described as a “text-book perfect” evacuation of a seriously ill 32-year-old man from Windhoek, in Namibia, via Dubai to Shanghai, in China, Netcare 911 international business development manager, James Crawford-Nutt, said that the case had truly reinforced the significance of inter-continental partnerships. “A service offering of this nature is absolutely invaluable for travellers and insurance companies looking for life-saving yet cost-effective solutions. While we are well positioned throughout sub-Saharan Africa we have been on the look out for the right inter-continental partner who is well positioned particularly in the Eastern and Asian markets. “We attended the 17 th International Travel Insurers conference held in Athens in November last year with the explicit objective of setting up inter-continental routes with other reputable air ambulance providers. Our enquiries there lead us to RMSI, a company with considerable experience in the provision of medical evacuations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Northern Africa and a fellow-member of the International Assistance Group,” explained Crawford-Nutt. According to Rob Lamb, president and CEO of RMSI, the two services enjoyed many synergies and a partnership between the two “made perfect sense”. He added: “When it comes to repatriation local knowledge is indispensable. RMSI offers an incomparable service to North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia while Netcare 911 is an expert when it comes to sub-Saharan Africa. It was only natural that we should bring the two together in order to be able to provide a seamless service throughout these regions.” The patient requiring repatriation from Namibia to Shanghai had a pre-existing medical condition. He became seriously ill while on business in Windhoek and required urgent repatriation to his home country where his doctors were familiar with the history of his condition. The Netcare 911 Aeromedical division was able to fly from South Africa into Windhoek at short notice in a fully equipped and staffed Hawker 800 jet air ambulance and then on to Dubai where a RMSI Hawker 800 was on standby to take him home. The patient is reported still to be seriously ill, though stable. Q
Page 1 and 2: Volume 38, No 3 Q Q May 2010 South
Page 3: Official journal of:- Commercial Av
Page 9 and 10: Flying the HAWKER HURRICANE Hot, he
Page 12 and 13: coolant pipes and lagging is nice i
Page 14 and 15: AIRVAN FOR EPIC FLIGHT Flight to ra
Page 16: SIXTY-SIX, CLICKITY, CLICK, the “
Page 19 and 20: The Search for Cleaner Skies By: DO
Page 22 and 23: GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Much of this tech
Page 24 and 25: its statutory duty to properly regu
Page 27 and 28: 28 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. AIR MAL
Page 29 and 30: Ksh 9,7-BILLION PHASE II EXPANSION
Page 31: Despite the earthquake, FIDAE COMES
Page 35 and 36: AIRCRAFT SLINGING - NAC STYLE Text
Page 38 and 39: IATA Halves 2010 Loss Forecast THE
Page 41 and 42: ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES’ “VISION 201
Page 43 and 44: Also on order are twelve Airbus A35
Page 45 and 46: 46 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. ATNS SY
Page 47 and 48: CITATION CJ4 GAINS FAA CERTIFICATIO
Page 49 and 50: 50 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. Tel: (0
Page 51 and 52: e established in a ‘best climb’
Page 54 and 55: ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS? Brother a
Page 56 and 57: WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF EVER SINCE
Page 58: AIRVENTURE DAKOTA UPDATE DC-2 WILL
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Page 69 and 70: MOZAMBIQUE NEWS Maputo - Despite se
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