Bayer MaterialScience has developed "extremely lightweight" rigid PU foam for the cockpit of the Solar lmpulse aircraft ,which is powered solely by solar energy. And as Patrick Thomas, chief executive officer of BMS said in a joint press conference at K2010 with Solvay and Bertrand Piccard, president and initiator of Solar Impulse, "It is very important that a person has a comfortable seat," for five days non-stop flying round the world.
The cockpit weighs 17.5 kg made from foam of 27 kg/m3 density, which is fine-pored and void-free, said BMS. The moisture resistant formulation allows variable insulation behaviour.
Piccard noted the objective of the project: to show that world that "If an aeroplane can fly without fuels, no one can tell us is impossible for cars, for boats for computers, electronics."
- See more on this in the next issue of the magazine.
