August 11 - Solar Impulse 2's (Si2) historic mission to become the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe was successfully achieved with the logistics support of Chapman Freeborn and Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
The two companies have explained how they provided both cargo and chartered passenger aircraft to transport spare parts, a mobile hangar and the technical team to support the record-breaking round-the-world trip, which started in March 2015 and ended its 43,041km 17-leg journey on July 26.
In addition to providing the Solar Impulse team with support aircraft, including a Volga-Dnepr Airlines' IL-76TD-90VD and an ATR-72 for the mission, Chapman Freeborn's Wings 24 in-house flight support team helped to manage the project's operations, ranging from flight permits and Customs clearances to ground handling and immigration arrangements for the transport airplanes.
The accompanying support aircraft were responsible for transporting over 25 tonnes of technical equipment as well as flying crew members and personnel throughout the mission. This required significant flexibility by Volga-Dnepr, which ensured an IL-76TD-90VD was on standby ready to support Solar Impulse 2 and be mobilised at extremely short notice.
