Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beat the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane in a flight that took him soaring to 9,521 metres, his team announced on Wednesday.
The SolarStratos plane made the landmark flight from Sion airport in southwest Switzerland on Tuesday, taking advantage of warm air thermals to go beyond the 15-year-old record.
The certified altitude record for a solar plane had stood at 9,235 metres (30,298 feet). It was set in 2010 by the Solar Impulse plane.
Domjan’s flight lasted five hours and nine minutes.
“I share this moment of joy with all the people who have been preparing for this achievement for years,” he said, celebrating afterwards with the melted cheese of a traditional Swiss raclette.
The data will be sent to the World Air Sports Federation governing body, which will decide whether to validate the new record.
“It is the pressure altitude corrected to standard density altitude that is recognised as the official reference for aviation altitude records,” the SolarStratos team said in a statement.
Domjan is aiming to be the first to take a solar-powered plane above 10,000 metres — flying at the same altitude as airliners.
If this barrier is broken, the team hopes to go on and make a first manned solar-powered flight into the stratosphere, which at Switzerland’s latitude begins at around 12,000 metres.
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“This achievement marks a major milestone on the path toward reaching the stratosphere using only solar power — and already fulfils the mission’s goal: to capture imaginations with emblematic, spectacular challenges that promote solar energy and the protection of our biosphere and planet,” SolarStratos said.
