Thank You, Solar Impulse!
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,
(Please click on red links below)
Multiple events occurred during the last portion of Across America 2013 mission of Solar Impulse (I’d also like to share the video clip on “Across Americaa 2013: Best From San Francisco to Washington”, below :
- Members of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO, Metro New York Chapter) visited Solar Impulse and saw with their own eyes the outcome of combining technological innovation with pioneering spirit. The YPO and Solar Impulse share the vision and belief that education is central to creating better business in the future and they have conveyed this vision to 20,000 business leaders across the globe. This 7-year endeavor of calculations, analysis, and engineering excellence has successfully completed the Across America mission from San Francisco to New York City, with final destination at JFK International Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013, enabling Andre and Bertrand to share their message to inspire people to embrace the pioneer within them in their daily lives. Upon answering one of the questions concerning stress for pilots’ family during this mission (such as the partially damaged wing during flight to New York), Andre’s wife Yasemin commented, “even though these are stressful moments, I felt confident as I know that such situations have been extensively trained for and the airplane has proven time after time that it is reliable. A successful landing is of course a great reward for this nervousness.”
- Bayer Material Science organized an event on Friday, July 12, 2013, presenting chemistry to students from disadvantaged school children from the Bronx. In its mission “Science For A Better Life”, the chemical grant and Solar Impulse partner demonstrate how important research and innovation are in finding sustainable solutions for the future. Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience, gave the opening remarks for the event “Solar Impulse captures the core values of our company in one magnificent package. It ties in perfectly with our philosophy of ‘Science For A Better Life,’ while also serving as a rigorous test of how our materials and technologies perform in challenging conditions.” “The project is about pioneering spirit, about adventure, about thinking outside the box,” explained Bertrand to the young audience. “It’s not easy being a pioneer. To get where we are today, we had to fail many times. But every time you fail, you’re one step closer to succeeding.” “In retrospect, it’s always nice to think about how we got here. The project is a lot about inspiration and a direct result of how we’ve been inspired by others before us. We hope this will encourage you to do great things for the future of our society,” concluded André to the applauding audience.
- The Swiss Consulate organized an event for employees, friend, and families on Saturday, July 13, 2013. “Seeing the airplane land at JFK was a very emotional and historic moment. I can compare it to when the Wright brother flew over the Statue of Liberty and landed in New York,” said François Barras, Consul General of Switzerland in New York. “Switzerland, a country poor in resources, owes its survival to its ingenuity. Today, thanks to André and Bertrand, we can showcase Switzerland’s innovative spirit.” concluded François. Switzerland was ranked the world’s #1 most innovative country this year (Global Innovation Index 2013).“One hundred and fifty years ago Switzerland was a poor country with no resources. Today it’s at the top of the ranks,” explained Bertrand. “What changed is the mindset. People had to look for new ways to communicate with the outside world by being inventive: building bridges and tunnels. Today, Solar Impulse shows that same shift in mindset, the perfect demonstration of what can be done when you’re not afraid to try”. “Don’t believe that you’ll fly in solar airplanes in 5 years as we’re currently at the same point as the Wright Brothers in 1915. But it’s a step ahead and proof about what can be done,” said André as he described the beginning of the project back in 2003. “We made it to New York City despite the challenges and we can now say that the mission was a success. However, that’s not what will remain impressed in our minds; it’s the incredible welcome we’ve had across the country and the amazing capability people have to be excited about something. It was an extremely fulfilling experience,” concluded André as he thanked everybody, including JFK International airport for accepting Solar Impulse.
- Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, a Solar Impulse Official Partner and sole insurance provider, organized a wonderful lunch event at Hangar 19 today, July 15, 2013. “So many people are prisoners of old patterns of thinking, using old solutions for new challenges. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions is proving its pioneering spirit by providing full coverage to Solar Impulse – a prototype experimental solar aircraft project. It took them 24 hours to accept the partnership and no more than 2 months to sign the contract,” said Bertrand Piccard.
We appreciate Bertrand and Andre’s perseverance, ability to think outside of the box, and their desire to inspire many to come up with new solutions for our changing world. Thank you Solar Impulse Team for bringing us this beautiful plane powered by Sunshine and igniting the imagination of the world!
Let’s all take part in making HB-SIB to become a reality! Fellow Solar Enthusiasts and Fellow Earthlings, it is the most tangible vision reflecting the future of our planet. Let’s make sure that it will fly high, unbounded by the old world of fossil fuel! Find out how by clicking on: http://solarimpulse.org/en/join-the-challenge/ and/or http://solarimpulse.org/en/donate/
~have a bright and sunny day~
gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
Tags: 2013, Across America Mission, Andre, Andre Borschberg, Bayer Material Science, Bertrand Piccard, Consul General of Switzerland, energy, Francois Barras, HB-SIB, Is The Future, JFK International airport, Patrick Thomas, solar, Solar Impulse, Sun, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, Swiss Consulate, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Switzerland, Wright Brother, www.sunisthefuture.net, Yasemin, Young Presidents' Organization, YPO