the best of times, the worst of times

California sun caresses your cheek. The breeze blows no cooler or warmer than the temperature outside, no sudden surprises, or cardigan laments. We can't work out whether it's the nearby bay, the greenery in full bloom, the vast Zabriskie Point style spaces here at the base - but the air is sweet and soft around you. To the skin it's the difference between delicious tumble dried towels and their rough cousins, left to crisp out on the line. A barefoot coffee on the balcony was a gentle way to start the day after what turned into a raucous raclette party set to a soundtrack of Schlager music meant to remind of home - but who's is unsure. Inboxes with messages from friends sent whilst I was sleeping bulged. There are few better ways to greet the morning, I thought.

That was, until I read their contents. It turns out that whilst I was sparko from a full day's work and a couple of glasses of Sion's finest, my friends and colleagues in a parallel universe -  at World Radio Switzerland - were receiving the heavy news that from September turning the dial to 101.7 will be futile. That our national radio will no longer be on FM full stop. Nor will it be public service. Professionally speaking, life will be different to say the least. I'm probably not allowed to divulge more than that, but suffice to say a wise crack from a co-worker, an arm on the shoulder or even a pint was missed.  Kill the violins already, there is still a flight to get ready for - Solar Impulse should, all being well, take to Californian skies in the small hours of Friday morning, direction Phoenix Sky Harbour. And I had another task to take my mind off the matter once I reached the hangar, met with cries of 'elenaaa, 'elena, viiite, there's a Monsieur Roberrr you 'AVE to interview' echoing from one end of the redwood hall to the other. 

Monsieur Roberrr, Monsieur Roberrr. I racked my brains. Everyone seemed to be on high alert and I still had no idea who I was to interview, let alone what I was going to ask this immoral sounding monsieur... I grabbed a notebook, disconcertingly devoid of any prompts, and made hastily in the direction of the plane where B and A seemed to be entertaining what I could only make out as a stripe of fair hair, rather open shirt and leather jacket. It wasn't until I got within one hundred meters of the target that I saw it - the trademark beard, the wide smile and the outwardly relaxed stance concealing the backbone of hard graft that made him a billionaire. It was SIR Richard Branson and he was making for the exit. Something about a flight to catch, his assistant told me. The notion of the head of Virgin Airlines dashing for a plane like the rest of us seemed improbable and pushing it paid off - upon registering an English accent in a sea of Swiss, Sir Richard gave in and agreed to a few questions ... graciously stating that there were no hard feelings after Bertrand beat him to it in the round the world balloon race, and admitting that given half a chance he'd take Solar impulse for a spin in a heart beat. After a rough start to the day, it was almost reassuring to meet someone so engrained within the British psyche, someone you just feel you know ... "Rich,"I had to stop myself from saying "what a crap start to the day, good to see you mate - you don't happen to fancy buying a radio station in Geneva do you?!"

Voila, that's it for now. I'm going to pop outside to contemplate the gorgeous weather again.

Hopefully I won't come back looking like a box of these:

Fondest Regards,

Helena 

I'm here!!! now a word about the neighbours

Neighbours - everybody loves good ones goes the theme tune to a famous aussie soap opera by the same name.

And slipping off the 101 last night to Moffett Federal Airfield after touching down in San Francisco it became ridiculously clear that Solar Impulse could not be in better company.

HP, Yahoo, Apple, YouTube, Sun Power, Dropbox, Google, the list goes on ...

Bref as the French speaking team I'm travelling with would put it - the big guns are all here, mirror glass facades inspecting the tops of the palm trees over which they tower. This is the very heart of the Silicon Valley and a server-full of fodder to feed a tech geek's wet dreams for years to come (one would suppose). Microsoft is literally next door for goodness sake, a stone's throw away if I want to cause trouble. One strange jet lag induced fantasy saw me stealthily remove an HB-SIA engine propeller belt, stretch it between a couple of tree trunks, set myself in the middle, do a run up and catapult myself over the high wire fence of the NASA base where we're staying and land directly into Ballmer's office. A memorable way to bag an interview and promote a message: experimental flight meets proverbial glass ceiling shattering.

Andre and Bertrand on the other hand have no need for such tactics to grab valuable face time with the Valley elite. Neighbours, as the theme song reminds - "with a little understanding they can find the perfect blend." Which apparently they already have: Sun Power, only down the road, developed the 12 thousand solar cells covering the plane's gangly wings; featherlight but still large enough to drink in the sunshine like brits in the 90's downing Sunny D before we found out it was bad for us. Then there's Google co-founder Larry Page who came over to play. The boys happily swapped toys, with Larry sharing his Google specs for a stroke of B and A's plane. No tears before bedtime, so perhaps these three are perfect playmates - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them all hang out together again soon.

Because, to reach the climax of this dreadful theme tune that for some reason I'm dragging through the entirety of this blog post, "that's when neighbours become good friends."

Good, now that's over time to finish up other business:

We'll be flying to Phoenix in the next few days hopefully, weather depending. I can't say more for the moment.

For those of you reading this who may just be checking I'm alive:

1. I'm alive. We 6 media team members flew out of Zurich yesterday and arrived late last night.

2. The accommodation is tickety boo. There's even a ceiling fan: Those of you who know me well will know that reporting from a place with a ceiling fan has actually always been a priority of mine. (still lacking the whiskey in the desk drawer, but it's only day 2).

3. The food is good. No freeze dried astronaut powder for us. In fact the chefs are swiss and have come with us. Tonight it's raclette ... a nice gesture but one I'm not quite ready for, scarred by the recent memory of Swiss Air's Roesti-Fondue Calzone pizza breakfast.

4. Parcels I sent myself arrived unharmed though aroused a fair amount of suspicion. NASA, it seems, has never received a hair dryer nor heated rollers in the post before. At least I'm some kind of pioneer.

5. One feeling:  it's a little strange to be travelling and working (for the time being) entirely in French in a country where my own language is spoken all around me. At the same time it reminds me that for the most part in Switzerland I work in English in a country where languages that are not mine, at least natively, are spoken all around me. Then for a brief flicker of a moment I wonder why I always get myself into these situations, whilst all the time knowing that I wouldn't change it, not for all its complexities, potential misunderstandings, the jokes that go down like a lead balloon, and then the jokes between cultures that are finally got and laughed at louder than they deserve, almost in celebration. There's a lot of that, sat outside at the sunshine soaked picnic tables, taking a brief break from the circus we're building round ourselves, somewhere between Sunnyvale and Mountain View.

So that's life for now. Apologies for an absence of anything pretty but working in the corner of a hangar, in a tangle of cables, amongst cameras, lenses and computers.

Fondest Regards,

Helena

Things that make me go ooh!

T- 6: Time for a pep talk 

I first started reporting on Solar Impulse a year ago now - and when I did, dinner party chatter amongst friends soon turned to whether I’d long concealed an avid interest in aviation. Whether a calling to save the planet had manifested itself in my latest, and admittedly curious, career move. Or was it just that I’d always harbored a deep (deep) seated lust for engineers?

I replied honestly then, and I’ll admit it readily now:

It’s NONE of the above.

I do care about planes. I care whether they're inexpensive and get me from a to b on time. I do recycle. I do it because it makes me feel better about myself and/or because I fear the fine from the nosy Geneva rubbish inspector. Engineers on the other hand don’t normally do it for me - but there are always exceptions. 

So I thought I’d make a compilation of the Solar Impulse Greatest Hits - the things I personally get a kick out of, enough propel me out of bed at two in the morning ready for a 24 hour working day. And it’s not just to convince myself, I promise.  

1. The notion of perpetual flight (as much of the science bit as I'll ever manage:)

The Solar Impulse HB SIA plane can fly day and night without fuel, relying on the power of the sun alone. When it soars above the clouds during the day the solar cells covering the wings charge fully so that by the time the sun goes down the plane has enough power to fly through the night until first light, when the cells begin to once again generate power. Were it not for the fact that there is no auto pilot for a helping hand during nap time the aircraft could go on flying – well, indefinitely. Forever even. You could LIVE up there, above the clouds, chasing the sun. I think that is officially far out. 

(c) Catherine Humphrey

     2.  These people are hardcore

  

Ten years ago Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg decided that they wanted to fly around the world, without fuel - and they came up with the idea of a solar plane as a means to achieving that dream. They approached light aircraft and glider manufactures, who swiftly came back with the response, are you out of your mind? And never was a question more on the money. 

These two men are out of their minds. But it works. They decided that if they wanted to make a solar plane they’d just have to do it themselves – hand picking a team of 80 technicians and engineers, and getting a YACHT maker on board, they came up with the flying machine, proving all the nay sayers wrong.

  

And when I say these guys are intense, I’m not the only one – watch this report by CBS news – go to 1 min 26 and look at the way Bertrand stares a second too long at the camera. THAT is what makes Solar Impulse work. 

 SOLAR IMPULSE - AROUND THE WORLD IN A SOLAR AIRPLANE

And, yes this man - a former shrink - claims he gets through the longest flights thanks to self-hypnosis. His body is at rest but his mind is awake. Work that one out.   

   3. The stupid questions

People refrain from asking the obvious questions out of fear it will make them look stupid. That’s fine by me as I already know that I’m in way over my head with Solar Impulse anyway, so I'm game. Please, if you have any, send them in! I'll happily ask what Andre’s having for tea up there, how they negotiate going to the loo, their favorite songs to sing whilst cruising above the clouds (Last year Leonard Cohen proved surprisingly popular). Ask away!

4. Finally when ends are frazzled and the going gets tough, I take a listen to this:

Right I should get back to fact cramming, 

Fondest Regards,

Helena 

What's it all about, Alfie?

If you're as perplexed about the nature of the adventure I'm about to embark on over the next three months as I am - watch this:

What in San José's name does Wes Anderson's masterpiece, The Life Aquatic, have to do with Solar Impulse's Across America mission ?

Or in the very least, what I'll be up to?

Well, in my admittedly overactive imagination, I'll be her:

Yes I realise that's Cate Blanchett. But here she is playing the role of very British reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson, who comes along to chronicle the voyage aboard the jolly ship Belafonte. Enter Helena C. Humphrey, gearing up to tear after a couple of Swiss adventurers and their solar powered plane, doing the U S of A coast to coast thing.

Naturally there are important distinctions to be made between Steve Zissou's madcap quest and that of Dr. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg's. (madcap not being one of them).

1. Our pioneers are taking to the skies rather than the seas. 

2. Fingers crossed the whole affair won't be nearly as ill-fated:

3. And, unlike the inspirational leading lady, I'm not up the duff:

But hopefully you catch my drift. N.B. key wardrobe similarities - during last year's flights between Switzerland and Morocco the team displayed a penchant for clothing me in "jumpsuit" like attire:

The promising news is that Solar Impulse HB-SIA has now successfully completed two rounds of tests flights over the heart of Silicon Valley and its environs, giving it the green light to attempt to fly from the NASA base in California to JFK airport in NYC, with plenty of intriguing stop-offs along the way. *PR bit ends, cue howls of ROAD TRIP* ...

10 days and counting 'til I leave Switzerland, so I'll return to packing my reporting essentials: tape-recorder, hairspray, pens and a parachute (you never know) and will be on the road, broadcasting live, from May.

Remember to check back here regularly for all the tales I won't be telling on the telly, as I chase two Swiss men across the United States, from West to East.

Beatnik cool be it not, but to me it's still the stuff a fair few (American) dreams are made of.

Fondest Regards,

Helena