(7 Apr 2010) SHOTLIST
1. Various shots of solar plane prototype being prepared for test flight
2. Various shots of helicopters
3. Wide of onlookers
4. Solar plane taking off for test flight
5. Various shots of plane in flight
STORYLINE
Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard''s team took its round-the-world solar plane prototype into the skies for the first time on Wednesday, with four propellers lifting the massive craft off the ground at near bicycle speed.
The test flight lasted just short of 1 and a half hours and aimed to see if the plane, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, could keep a straight trajectory.
The team plans to fly it around the world in 2012.
The takeoff and landing appeared smooth, however.
At a military airport in the Swiss countryside, the "Solar Impulse" plane lifted off after at a speed no faster than 45 kph (28 mph) after only a short acceleration on the runway.
It slowly gained altitude above the green and beige fields, and disappeared eventually into the horizon as villagers watched from the nearest hills.
The descent was even slower, as the sun-powered craft hovered ahead of the runway for a couple of minutes before touching down to cheers from spectators.
The weather for the maiden flight was sunny.
The 70 (m) million euro (94 (m) million US dollar) project has been conducting flea-hop tests since December, taking the plane no higher than 60 centimetres (2 feet) in altitude and 300 meters (1-thousand feet) in distance.
A night flight is planned later this year, and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests.
The big takeoff is planned for 2012, and it will use not an ounce of fuel.
Using almost 12-thousand solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to take the plane around the world with stops to allow them to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit.
The circumnavigation will take time.
With the engines providing only 40 horsepower, the plane will fly almost like a scooter in the sky, at an average flight speed of 70 kph (44 mph).
The trip will be split up into five stages, keeping the plane in the air for up to five days at a time, with the stopovers also allowing the team to show off their creation.
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