The plane that flew around the world for the first time. Around the Earth without refueling: top world air travel records. Who should buy

The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, powered by solar panels, has completed its trip around the world.

On Sunday he flew from Cairo towards Abu Dhabi. This 48-hour route was the home stretch of the round-the-world trip, which began on March 9, 2015. In total, the plane covered 35 thousand km, moving at a speed of 60-120 km/h. Over the course of 16 months, the plane landed in 15 cities around the world. And last summer he set a record for the longest non-stop stay in the air, flying continuously for more than 120 hours.

What kind of winged machine is this, which once again clearly proved: science and technology are driving humanity forward ever faster? The most surprising thing is that Solar Impulse 2 is just a single-seat aircraft, the cabin of which resembles the inside of a small car. But that's where the usual comparisons end.

Thus, the plane is built from hydrocarbon fiber and has huge wings: the span is 72 m. This is slightly less than the world's largest passenger aircraft Airbus 380 (79.75 m) and more than the Boeing 747 (68.5 m ). At the same time, the “solar sunflower” weighs only 2.3 tons. Let us remind you: the empty weight of the Airbus 380 is 280 tons, and the Boeing 747 is 214.5 tons!

The planes of the giant wings and the upper part of the aircraft fuselage are covered with solar cells - this is over 17 thousand cells of monocrystalline silicon solar batteries. The thickness of each is only 135 microns. They are powered by four electric motors with a power of 17.5 horsepower. The plane can reach speeds of up to 140 km/h.

By the way, this is not the first solar-powered aircraft. But, as experts emphasize, of all such designs, Solar Impulse 2 is the most effective. Indeed, five days in the sky without landing is, of course, cool. You may recall that the legendary first non-stop flight from Moscow to the United States through the North Pole by the crew of Valery Chkalov in 1937 lasted 63 hours and 16 minutes. And until recently, pilots spent 19 hours on the world’s longest non-stop flight from New York to Singapore... It is clear that comparing Chkalov’s ANT-25, the passenger Airbus A340-500 and Solar Impulse 2, to put it mildly, is not correct. But the fact remains a fact.

Infographics RG/Anton Peterletchikov/Natalia Yachmennikova

How could pilots survive five days in the tiny cabin of Solar Impulse 2? Firstly, we trained - we spent 72 hours in special simulators, studied yoga, breathing and self-hypnosis techniques. Secondly, the pilot's seat functions simultaneously as a reclining bunk, as a sports trainer, and as a toilet. The pilot slept in 20-minute segments - at these moments he put the plane on autopilot. Parachute, life raft and survival kit are also packed in the seat back

At night, the “solar plane” flew on energy-intensive batteries charged during the day. Ammonia-alkaline electrolyte for batteries has made it possible to obtain higher energy density, experts explain.

This miracle machine can only support the weight of one person. Therefore, two pilots - Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Picard and entrepreneur Andre Borschberg - flew in turns.

Bertrand Piccard made the first non-stop flight around the Earth in a hot air balloon in 1999. He belongs to the well-known Picard family. His father, Jacques Piccard, was the first to reach the bottom of the Mariinsky Trench in a submersible in 1960. And his grandfather Auguste Piccard was the first to ascend into the stratosphere in a balloon in 1931.

The route was deliberately laid out through favorable weather regions, with the maximum number of sunny days. However, both the flight organizers and the pilots themselves were well aware of how high the risk was. Especially when flying across the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic. Even the “worst case scenario” - ejection and splashdown into the ocean - could not be ruled out...

With our attempt at the first flight around the world, regardless of how it ends, we want to show the world that environmentally friendly technologies and renewable energy sources are already making it possible to achieve what was previously considered impossible,” Piccard said before the flight. “We want governments, leaders and especially young professionals to see that everything that Solar Impulse 2 can achieve in the air will soon be able to become part of everyday life.

However, experts are not so optimistic in their assessments of the prospects of the solar fly: we will not see such commercial aircraft for a very long time. They have little power, they cannot lift much weight into the air and fly at high speeds. The sun doesn't have enough "energy density" to lift planes that need to get somewhere in a reasonably short time, experts say. And one of the aviation authorities bluntly stated: the goal of solar planes is just to be in the air, and not to fly at the appropriate speed. Whatever one may say, going around the world without a drop of kerosene is rather a demonstration of the possibilities of using solar energy for experimental purposes.

Despite the fact that Solar Impulse 2 will not revolutionize aircraft manufacturing, there are benefits from the project: for example, engineers had to make aircraft engines extremely efficient. Solar Impulse 2 engines lose just 3 percent of their energy through heat, compared to 70 percent in a conventional airplane.

Meanwhile

One of the most promising substitutes for aviation kerosene is biofuel. According to experts, its share in transport by 2020 could reach up to 25 percent. There are already a dozen options for products and plants from which a new type of aircraft “fuel” is obtained. The ingredients used are algae, coconuts, Brazil nuts, plants of the genus Jatropha (a woody shrub with large oily seeds), and non-food animal fats.

January 11, 1935 American pilot Amelia Earhart committed a single flight across the Pacific Ocean, which no one in the world had ever managed before. This was the peak of the career of the brave American, her most impressive achievement, which transferred Earhart to the category of legends. And today we will tell you about ten of the most iconic and famous air records throughout the history of aviation.

The history of aviation records is unthinkable without the achievements achieved by the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903. On this day, they made the world's first four flights on the Wright Flyer, each of which was a record in terms of range and duration compared to the previous ones. As a result, we settled on 260 meters and 59 seconds.

On May 20-21, 1927, American pilot Charles Lindbergh made a flight that remains the most famous in the history of world aviation. He took off from New York on a plane with the poetic name “Spirit of St. Louis”, and 33.5 hours later landed at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. This was the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

The next aviation record of this magnitude was set only in 1935 by Amelia Earhart. The brave American, in her Vega 5b aircraft, was the first in the world to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean, starting from Hawaii and landing 18 hours and 16 minutes later in Oakland, California. On July 2, 1937, Earhart died while trying to fly an airplane around the globe.

At that time, the Soviet Union had its own star pilot, very comparable in popularity to the Americans Lindbergh and Earhart. We are talking about Valery Chkalov, who on June 18-20, 1937, as part of the Chkalov-Baidukov-Belyakov crew, made a transcontinental flight from Moscow to the American city of Portland, Vancouver, flying through the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole.

On January 16-18, 1957, three American B-52B heavy bombers made the world's first non-stop flight around the world. During the flight, they refueled three times from a refueling aircraft. In 45 hours and 19 minutes, these stratospheric fortresses (as their nickname Stratofortress is translated into Russian) covered a distance of 39,165 kilometers by air.

Sometimes the fact of setting a new record becomes a record in itself. For example, a similar thing happened on March 22, 1989 with an airplane, which during a 3.5-hour flight immediately set 110 new world achievements, such as maximum cargo weight, maximum take-off weight, as well as speed, altitude and flight range records for aircraft of this type. type.

Bertrand Piccard was born into a great family. His grandfather Auguste and father Jacques became famous for their famous submersible dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench; many of his relatives are famous conquerors of the air and stratosphere. And Bertrand himself did not make a mistake. In 1999, he and Briton Brian Jones made the first ever circumnavigation of the world in a hot air balloon. In 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes, they covered a distance of 45,755 kilometers on the Breitling Orbiter 3.

On October 4, 2004, American pilot Brian Binney made the highest flight in aviation history on SpaceShipOne. He raised his aircraft to a height of just over 112 kilometers above the Earth's surface, thereby breaking the boundary between the atmosphere and space.

Longest flight by plane

The time has come for new aviation records. Classic aircraft, of course, continue to develop, but aircraft with alternative energy sources are much more promising and interesting. The first such famous aircraft was the Solar Impulse, on which Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg flew from the west coast of the United States of America to the east, from San Francisco to New York in May-June 2013. In the future, they plan to cross the Atlantic on Solar Impulse, and then travel around the world.

Solar Impulse-2, powered by solar panels, took off in Abu Dhabi on March 9, 2015, heading east from the United Arab Emirates towards Oman to set a world record for circumnavigation of the world.

The plane will fly around the Earth on a complex route with numerous stops over the next five months. Stops will be required for rest, repairs and popularization of the technology.

The single-seater will be piloted alternately by two Swiss enthusiasts of environmentally friendly technologies - Andre Borschberg, who was at the helm in Abu Dhabi, and Bertrand Picard.

Conditions for success

“I am confident that we have a special airplane and it will take us across the oceans,” Borschberg told the BBC before takeoff.

The predecessor of the current machine, Solar Impulse-1, set a number of world records, including flying across the North American continent in 2013.

However, traveling around the Earth turned out to be a more ambitious goal, and for this it was necessary to build an even larger aircraft. The wingspan of Solar Impulse-2 is 72 meters, which is larger than that of the Boeing 747. Moreover, it weighs only 2.3 tons. Low mass is one of the conditions for the success of the expedition.

The aircraft's monowing is covered with 17.2 thousand solar panels, which produce energy to power the aircraft's electric motors. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 140 kilometers per hour.

The performance and reliability of 17 thousand solar cells on the upper surface of the wings, as well as lithium-ion batteries recharged from solar panels for flight at night, is the second condition for the successful completion of the flight.

This is especially important for flights across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, which will last several days without stopping.

The aircraft was manufactured by the French design company Dassault Systemes. The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft was presented to the public in April 2014. In June he passed the next tests. The first long-duration flight of a solar-powered aircraft took place on April 7, 2010. Then Solar Impulse managed to stay in the air for approximately 75 minutes.

Without sleep

On Tuesday morning, the crew will depart towards India and China, after which travelers will fly over the Pacific Ocean, the United States and European countries. The aircraft is expected to cover 35 thousand kilometers in five months.

Pilots will have to go without sleep almost all this time - they will only be able to doze off for 20 minutes, as solo yachtsmen do.

The task is complicated by the need to stay all this time in a cabin measuring only 3.8 cubic meters, which is not much larger than a telephone booth.

Borshberg says that yoga will allow him to withstand these loads. Picard hopes for self-hypnosis. “But my passion will also support me,” he adds.

“16 years ago, I had a dream to fly around the world without fuel using solar energy alone. And now we're about to do it. I’m looking forward to being in the cockpit,” said Picard.

The aviators are supported by a well-trained team of engineers. The flight control center is in Monaco, but a team of engineers will follow the aircraft everywhere. They have a mobile hangar for layovers.

The success of Solar Impulse-2 is by no means guaranteed. Computer models show that ocean flights are possible, but only under favorable weather conditions.

This means the team may have to wait weeks for good weather on the ground.

If the plane is unable to make it across the Pacific or Atlantic, the pilot will eject and float in the ocean using survival gear until picked up by a passing ship.

Andre Borschberg is an engineer and military pilot by training, but he made his fortune on Internet technologies.

Bertrand Piccard is famous for his exploits in the field of aeronautics. In 1999, he made the first non-stop flight around the Earth in a hot air balloon.

He is the son of Jacques Piccard, who was the first to sink to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point of the World Ocean, in 1960.

And his grandfather Auguste Picard was the first to ascend into the stratosphere in a hot air balloon in 1931.

Many people dream of traveling around the world, but few realize how realistic it is to realize this dream. Large airline alliances can help us with this, and not travel agencies, as you might think. Perhaps a package tour to dozens of countries around the world would be somewhat convenient, but, firstly, travel agencies have long abandoned the idea of ​​​​creating such tours due to poor payback and low demand, and secondly, wouldn’t it be nice Plan your own trip around the world?

From this article you will learn what round-the-world air tickets are, where and how to buy round-the-world tickets and how much they cost.

What is a “round the world air ticket”

A round-the-world ticket is a ticket that allows you to fly around the world along a pre-planned route. From Russia to Asia, from there to North and South America, and then Africa or Europe? Easily! It is enough just to determine all the route points (departure and arrival airports) and travel dates on the seller’s website. After this, the company will offer you a “round-the-world ticket”, the price of which will be significantly lower than the cost of individual tickets.

Of course, there are limitations here too. The number of flight miles, the number of flights from one continent to another are usually limited (it won’t be difficult to fly around all the continents, but flying back and forth, for example, from Asia to America will no longer work), as well as the number of flights. Usually the total number of stops is limited to 15-16, which is quite enough for a trip around the world.

There is also a rule that states that your last flight between countries should be made no earlier than 10 days after the start of the trip. So those who are planning to fit a trip around the world into a week-long vacation should reconsider their plans. But all alliances are not against making changes to the route and dates (of course, within reason) right during your trip. Have you arrived in Cambodia and realized that the planned 5 days will not be enough for you? No problem, the airline will change your booking to a subsequent ticket.

And of course, you shouldn’t forget that you will need the ones you are planning to visit, so you should calculate in advance whether you will have time to get all these visas?

What companies provide this service?

So, our assistants in the implementation of a trip around the world are the three major airline alliances Star Alliance, Sky Team and Oneworld. These three alliances include almost all the largest airlines in the world, which allows you to choose from almost two hundred countries and travel across all continents when purchasing a round-the-world ticket.

Star Alliance is the largest and oldest airline alliance on the planet. It includes 27 companies, including Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss Air, Thai Airways, United Airlines and others.

Star Alliance offers us to purchase a round-the-world ticket with stops in 193 countries, at 1321 airports. The number of stops is limited to 16 (and at least five). The full list of requirements can be found on the official website of the alliance in the Rond-the-World Fare section, FAQs www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare.

The next largest airline in the alliance is SkyTeam. There are only 20 full members of the alliance, among them: Aeroflot, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines and others.

Skyteam is ready to take us to 1052 airports in 177 countries, which is also impressive. At the same time, we can make from 3 to 15 stops, which is only 1 stop less than the previous alliance. You can find more detailed information on the official website of the alliance www.skyteam.com/ru/Flights-and-Destinations/Travel-Passes/Go-Global.

And the last in scale is the Oneworld alliance, which consists of 15 members. These are AirBerlin, American Airlines, Finnair, S7, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, QatarAirways and others. As you can see, although Oneworld lags behind the previous two alliances in terms of the number of air carriers, it is in no way inferior to them in the importance and quality of service of its airlines. You can read about Oneworld round-the-world tickets on their official website in the Rond-the-World fares section www.oneworld.com/flights/round-the-world-fares/oneworld-explorer.

How to buy a round the world air ticket

You can purchase a round-the-world ticket for your personal route at the alliance offices, by calling the phone number listed on their website, or, which is much easier, on the website itself. For convenience, we give an example of creating a route on the SkyTeam website, where a trip planner is available in Russian. We go to the official website of the alliance www.skyteam.com/ru/. Select Rond the World Planner on the left side of the window.

Click the “Launch application” button, and then “Create a route”.

We get to the application page, where all the rules that your route must follow are immediately listed: direction, transfers, the need to cross the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and so on. We advise you to carefully read these rules to make it easier not only for you to choose countries for travel, but also to facilitate the process of booking a round-the-world ticket.

Let's choose the first planning option, in which we only need to list the cities we want to visit. The planner will automatically create a route in accordance with all the rules of the alliance.

Enter cities in random order into the line on the left or mark them on the map. Click “Create shortest path”. The planner will draw us a path that we will follow.

All we have to do is select flights and confirm the purchase. We enter the flight dates, age and number of passengers, as well as the class we are going to fly in: economy or business. The further process is no different from buying a regular air ticket. We enter passenger data, make payment, and now we are one step closer to the trip of our dreams! And with a round-the-world ticket in your pocket, other difficulties seem easily surmountable.

How much does a round the world air ticket cost?

Let's take for example the route Moscow-Washington-San Francisco-Delhi-Tokyo-London-Prague-Moscow. The Sky Team planner shows us the estimated cost of a round-the-world ticket for one person on this route is 4,343 euros, which is approximately equal to 256,700 rubles. This is a preliminary estimate of the cost of a round-the-world ticket, which may change at the stage of selecting flights.

We will enter the same route into the planner on the Star Alliance website www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare#. Star Alliance also gives us a preliminary estimate of the cost, but in this case it is 183,500 rubles.

As you can see, the difference is more than significant. It also played a role that in the Star Alliance planner I myself determined the route, but in the Sky Team planner I only marked the cities, allowing the program to do everything for me, which led to a not very rationally constructed path.

In any case, when planning a trip and buying a round-the-world ticket, it is better to spend a little time and consider all three options that airline alliances offer us. Then the route will be the most optimal, and you will choose only those airlines that you like and the price of a round-the-world ticket can be much lower.

Around the world on a Four Seasons Jet

The first trip around the world on a Four Seasons aircraft took place in 2012. Now the plane - designed to carry 52 "high value" Boeing 757 passengers - flies on several designed routes with two- to three-day stops in various cities. During them, travelers stay at Four Seasons hotels. However, lovers of long-distance travel will be no less comfortable on board the plane than in the hotel rooms of the famous chain: the plane is equipped with fully reclining white leather seats from the Italian company Iacobucci with a Bose personal multimedia system. Passengers also enjoy hand-woven Mongolian cashmere throws, Bulgari beauty kits, a personal chef's menu and concierge services.

There are several options for traveling around the world: for example, one includes stops in popular tourist cities like New York or Tokyo, and the other in exotic ones like Chiang Mai in Thailand. There are also thematic tours: for example, to cities with a rich cultural heritage such as Prague, Milan and Paris. Four Seasons Jet's next round-the-world trip will begin this August in Seattle and will include two- to three-day stops in Tokyo, Beijing, the Maldives, Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Marrakech and New York. True, there are no more places left for 2015, but there is still a chance to be on a trip around the world next year. Four new routes are already planned for 2016. Round-the-world travel costs start at $119,000 per person based on a double room. You will need to pay extra for single occupancy.

Hot air balloon flight over Myanmar

You can admire the ancient pagodas on the territory of the now destroyed city of Bagan and the picturesque banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River in Myanmar during a hot air balloon flight. Such flights are organized, for example, by the Balloons over Bagan company, created by spouses Brett Meltzer and Khin Omar Win in 1999. The premium balloon flight, which seats eight passengers, lasts from 45 minutes to an hour. The price also includes transfer from the hotel and back, as well as a light breakfast with champagne. Premium flight prices are $380 per person and may increase during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Order The tour is available at the company's central office in Yangon.

Travel Southeast Asia by Eastern & Oriental Express

The Eastern & Oriental Express train operates on routes connecting Thailand, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia. The train's carriages are decorated with teak wood, and each compartment has air conditioning, a private bathroom and huge windows. Breakfast is served daily in the compartment, and you can have lunch and dinner in one of two dining cars. There is live music in the bar car in the evenings, and there is an observation car at the rear of the train. The cost of tours depends on the chosen route. For example, a two-day trip from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok will cost from $2,280 per person, and a four-day trip along the Bangkok route— Kuala Lumpur — Singapore — from $2690.

The most expensive tours are New Year's and Fables of Peninsula. New Year's Eve lasts four days and three nights. The train passes along the route Singapore— Kuala Lumpur — Bangkok. Along the way, passengers stop in the Malaysian city of Butterworth, from where they can take a ferry to the island of Penang and visit the city of Georgetown there, as well as on one of the Thai beaches, where, in fact, they celebrate the New Year. The cost of such a trip is from $4140 per person. The Peninsula Myths tour lasts seven days and eight nights and costs from $7,900. The journey begins in Singapore, and the route takes you through Kuala Lumpur, the picturesque Cameron Mountains, Penang Island, which is also visited by train passengers, and the Thai beach town of Ban Huai Yang. Travel on the Eastern & Oriental Express is organized by Belmond, on whose website you can book a trip.

Visit a penguin colony in Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the most interesting places on the planet, and a trip there will definitely be “the trip of a lifetime.” Various travel companies around the world organize such trips - for example, the British White Desert or the Russian Poseidon Expeditions. The first offers a nine-day tour with a visit to the emperor penguin colony and a flight to the South Pole. During the tour, travelers live in a special camp, additional activities such as rock climbing or ski kiting can be organized for them, and at the South Pole they take a tour of the American Amundsen Research Station— Scott. The cost of this trip is €62,000 per person, and it includes flights from Cape Town, South Africa to Antarctica.

You can also see the penguin colony during cruises organized by Poseidon Expeditions from November to March. Cruises take place on the luxury ship Sea Spirit and last from 11 to 13 days. During the cruise, travelers sail through the Drake Passage, the picturesque Lemar Strait, disembark at the former British research station Port Lockroy, now a museum, and on Deception Island, where one of the largest penguin colonies is located. Optionally, you can book kayaking or overnight camping - both of these services can be paid or free depending on the cruise program. The cost of such a trip starts from $8856. One of the cruises takes place during the New Year holidays and, according to the managers of Poseidon Expeditions, is very popular among our compatriots - for a group of 114 people there are 20-30 Russian passengers.

Drive through Germany and Switzerland in a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse

For lovers of high speeds and expensive cars, the international company Global Racing Schools is organizing a five-day motor rally across Germany and Switzerland in a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. The tour starts in Stuttgart and takes you through the Black Forest, along the shores of Lake Constance and through Baden-Baden. Travelers will be able to drive the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse for about 700 km. The program also includes visits to museums of the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz automobile brands, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC, limousine transfer from Stuttgart airport to the hotel, as well as accommodation in five-star hotels during the trip. The cost of the tour is €64,350 for two people.