Bertrand Piccard is a man with aviation in his blood.  His grandfather, Auguste, was the first man to fly a balloon into the stratosphere.  Bertrand was the co-pilot of the first balloon to make a trip around the world.  Now, he’s back again, this time as a designer.  He’s one of the minds behind the Solar Impulse, a prototype jet airplane that runs completely on solar energy.  That’s right, there’s absolutely no fuel tank aboard that bird.  The HB-SIA runs completely on the sun.

The experimental plane made its first flight in Payerne, Switzerland, yesterday.  The plane, which features a cockpit exposed to the elements, flew for 90 minutes, executing graceful turns in perfect conditions.  Despite being as wide as a 747 (and handling the same way, according to pilot Markus Scherdel), the plane is incredibly light and never reached more than 28 miles an hour while in flight.   He still managed to take her up a mile in the air, an impressive feat considering his exposure to the wind.

The goal of the group is to fly the Solar Impulse around the world, sans fuel, in 2012.  If successful, the widespread adoption of solar power could revolutionize mass transit as we know it.

Image: Reuters

Tags: solar plane, solar-powered airplane, alternate fuels, Solar Impulse, Payerne, Switzerland, Markus Scherdel, HB-SIA prototype, experimental planes, practice runs, plane runs with no fuel, Bertrand Piccard

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