Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Lindbergh Foundation to Honor Solar Impulse Pilots


The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation will present the Lindbergh Spirit medal to the pilots and co-founders of the Solar Impulse project in a special ceremony at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where Solar Impulse is currently staying on Friday, the 21st of June at 2PM.

The Solar Impulse prototype HB-SIA, fuelled by solely by solar energy, has flown across the U.S. starting from San Francisco and stopping in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati and now Washington, D.C. before reaching its final destination, New York City. Pilots and co-founders Dr. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg plan to fly the follow-on version of the aircraft, HB-SIB around the world in stages for the first time in 2015.

The Lindbergh Spirit medal, which depicts Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s pioneering flight in 1931 from New York to Tokyo as well as Charles Lindbergh’s epic trans-Atlantic flight, is given by the Lindbergh Foundation for pioneering achievements in aviation.. “In the same way that Charles and Anne played a seminal role in the development of the airline industry, Bertrand and AndrĂ© will be remembered for being the first to demonstrate that it is possible to fly day and night on solar energy only,” said Lindbergh Foundation Chairman John L. Petersen. “This project is important not only for raising awareness of the significance of using solar power for a broad spectrum of applications, but also to encourage companies and individuals to pursue the advancement of clean technologies,” he said. The Spirit medal, designed by sculptor Don Wiegand, is not available commercially and is only presented for extraordinary individual accomplishments.

The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation encourages advancements in the aviation industry which perpetuates Anne and Charles Lindbergh’s interest in achieving a balance between technology and the environment. It is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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