PAYERNE, Switzerland — At the pace of a fast bicycle, a solar-powered plane took to the skies for its maiden flight Wednesday, passing an important test on the way to a historic voyage around the world — a journey that would not use a drop of fuel.
The Solar Impulse lifted off from a military airport at a speed no faster than 28 mph after briefly accelerating down the runway. It slowly gained altitude above the green-and-beige fields and eventually faded into the horizon as villagers watched.
“There has never been an airplane of that kind that could fly — never an airplane so big, so light, using so little energy. So there were huge question marks for us,” said project leader Bertrand Piccard.
During the 90-minute flight Wednesday, the plane completed a series of turns by gently tilting its black-and-white wings, which are as wide as those of a 747 jumbo jet. The weather was sunny, and there was little wind — advantages for a plane so light and dependent on the sun.
Engineers on the $93.5 million project have been conducting short tests since December, taking the plane no higher than 2 feet and flying no more than 1,000 feet in distance.
A night flight is planned before July, and a second plane will be built based on those tests. The round-the-world flight is planned for 2012.
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