André Borschberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
André Borschberg
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Borschberg in 2011
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| Born | 13 December 1952 |
| Education | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, MS 1976 MIT Sloan, MS 1983 |
| Known for | Completing the first round-the-world solar flight and the longest solo flight in an airplane of any kind: 117 hours and 52 minutes |
| Awards | 14 FAI world records |
| Aviation career | |
| Famous flights | Longest solo solar flight ever in aviation history from Nagoya to Hawaii |
| Air force | Swiss Air Force |
André Borschberg (born December 13, 1952) is a Swiss entrepreneur, explorer, and pilot. He is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse. In July 2016, he helped pilot the first plane to fly around the world using only solar power!
Borschberg also co-founded H55. This company creates electric power systems for airplanes. He holds many world records for his amazing work with the Solar Impulse plane.
One of his biggest achievements was flying non-stop for almost 118 hours. This was during the flight from Japan to Hawaii. It was the longest solo flight ever in any type of airplane. He has 14 world records from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
Contents
Early Life and Education
André Borschberg was born in Zürich, Switzerland, on December 13, 1952. He studied mechanical engineering at EPFL. He also earned a master's degree in management from MIT.
Career Highlights
Before his work with solar planes, Borschberg was a jet pilot. He flew for the Swiss Air Force. Later, he worked as a consultant for five years. In 2002, he helped start a company called Innovative Silicon. This company made new types of computer memory.
Solar Impulse Project
André Borschberg is a key part of the Solar Impulse project. He helps manage the engineering side. He is also one of the main pilots for the solar-powered planes.
Solar Impulse 1 Missions
On July 7, 2010, André Borschberg flew the Solar Impulse 1 plane for 26 hours. This was a huge step! It was the first time a solar plane flew through both day and night using only solar energy.
Solar Impulse 1 made several international flights.
- In May 2011, it flew from Payerne, Switzerland, to Brussels, Belgium.
- In June 2011, it flew from Brussels to Paris.
- In July 2011, it flew back to Payerne.
In 2012, Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard took turns piloting the plane. They made the first flight across continents. They flew from Switzerland to Madrid, Spain, and then to Morocco.
In 2013, Solar Impulse 1 crossed the United States. The pilots flew from San Francisco to New York. They made stops in different cities along the way. These flights helped the team learn a lot. They learned how to fly solar planes in international air space. They also learned about landing at busy airports.
World Records with Solar Impulse
Borschberg has set many FAI world records with Solar Impulse. These include:
- Longest distance flown.
- Longest flight duration.
- Highest altitude reached by a solar plane.
He achieved these records during flights in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Solar Impulse 2 Missions
In 2015 and 2016, Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard piloted Solar Impulse 2. They completed the first-ever flight around the world using only solar power.
During this amazing journey, Borschberg flew a very long leg. From June 28 to July 3, 2015, he flew Solar Impulse 2 from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii. This flight lasted 4 days, 21 hours, and 52 minutes! He broke the record for the longest solo flight. This record was previously held by Steve Fossett.
Objectif Soleil Book
In 2017, Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard wrote a book. It is called Objectif Soleil, which means "Objective Sun." The book shares their experiences from the Solar Impulse project.
H55 Company
In 2017, Borschberg co-founded a new company called H55. It is based in Sion, Switzerland. H55 is a spin-off from the Solar Impulse project. The company develops and sells electric propulsion technology. This technology helps make airplanes fly using electricity. H55 launched its first aircraft, the Aerol, in 2017. Then came the BRISTELL Energic in 2019.
See Also
In Spanish: André Borschberg para niños
- International Committee of Clean Technologies
