Gulp. That may be the sound of me swallowing my words. As this tongue in cheek writing suggests, the idea of a solar powered plane seems silly to me. Solar Impulse, however, is out to prove me wrong. The plane has just finished a 26 hour continuous flight over Europe. 26 hours. You guessed it, that includes flying during the night. 12,000 solar cells absorbed the sun’s energy during the day as it glided above Switzerland during the day to keep its batteries charged during the night. Average speed was around 25 mph (23knots). A former Swiss air force pilot named Andre Borschberg, 57, flew the long, skinny plane. In his words,

“I’ve been a pilot for 40 years now, but this flight has been the most incredible one of my flying career,” Mr. Borschberg said as he landed, according to a statement from the organizers of the project. “Just sitting there and watching the battery charge level rise and rise thanks to the sun. I have just flown more than 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution.”

A New York Times article quotes project founder Bertrand Piccard saying “We are on the verge of the perpetual flight.” The next goal for the plane with a 210 ft wingspan is a non-stop flight around the world.

Solar Impulse is propeller driven and made of carbon fiber. The 3,500 pounds are kept aloft by four small electric motors. The plane reached a maximum speed of 68 knots, or 78 miles per hour, and climbed to 28,000ft. The plane’s designers say the seven-year-old project is not designed to replace jet transportation — or its comforts. With temperatures of minus 20 at one point, that is a safe bet. Simply the fact that a solar powered plane was able to fly successfully in the dark, however, is an achievement in its own right.

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