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World video travel guide
News • United States • 2012-01-09
GreenLight WorldFlight
From Slovenia, a Central European country at the juncture of the Alps and the Mediterranean, today, on 8 January 2012, the Virus SW ultra light plane has set out on a two-month journey around the world. Weighing merely 290 kilos, this plane, which uses a minimum amount of fuel, was constructed by the Slovenian manufacturer, Pipistrel, a recurrent winner of the NASA award for top energy-efficient planes.
Sustainable development in all fields is a priority of Slovenia, which, although one of the smaller European countries, invites the entire international community to become even more devoted to protecting the environment and solving the problem of climate change, protecting local cultures and friendlier social relations.
From Slovenia, across Africa to North and South America and the Antarctic and over to Australia and Asia, over Mount Everest and India and back home again, the plane will be piloted by Matevž Lenarčič, a biologist, photographer and nature protectionist. He will be accompanied, in mind and heart, by all of Slovenia and its National Tourist Board. Everywhere the brave pilot lands with his environmentally friendly plane, he will bring with him the best wishes of the citizens of this green and welcoming country, and especially, a country that takes care of the planet and global friendship.
Think small - think light - think green
The pilot Matevž Lenarčič will regularly post his impressions about the journey at www.worldgreenflight.com.
NEW STORY
On the way around the world
In the early days of 2012, Matevž Lenarcic, a biologist, environmentalists
and photographer-pilot will again set course
in his small aircraft for a lonely ight around the world, this
time in a westerly direction. The tiny ultra light Virus-SW914,
made by the worldwide renowned company Pipistrel, weighs
only 290kg / 640lb and is the fastest aircraft in the world in its
category, using less fuel per distance own. Its abilities have
been proven in two NASA sponsored competitions in the
USA, where for two consecutive years the aircraft received
prestigious awards for its exceptional ight characteristics.
The aircraft is produced under the Pipistrel brand Ecolution
http://www.pipistrel.si/top-quality/ecolution-our-philosophy ,
meaning 100% autonomous energy production with optimized,
computer-controlled acquisition of green energy (solar,
air and geothermal).
NEW MISSION
Look at the images - feel the planet
Flying around the world in a small airplane has a profound
meaning. Low and slow over the surface, with a notion of the
planet revolving beneath the wings, but fast enough to discover
its secrets. These secrets will be stored in digital memory cards
and then communicated to the people of our planet, so they will
also get a feel for their world. Only people with a sense of the
world are able to protect it. More than 70% of Earth’s surface is
covered with water. Due to di erent physical states, di erent
quality and distribution, almost a third of the human population
has limited or even blocked access to safe drinking sources. We
can all change that. Images will show places with plenty of clean
drinking water and places without a single drop. We are going to
show very di erent faces of water and warn the world that lack
of water brings even more tension to the society than oil trade.
NEW CHALLENGE
In the eco-friendly light aircraft
GreenLight WorldFlight faces Pipistrel and the pilot with a number
of challenges. The aircraft must safely operate when ying at very
high or low polar temperatures and extreme altitudes. In addition,
the fuel consumption must remain at very low levels, as some
stages are over 4000km long, and the amount of fuel on board of
such a small aircraft is very limited. Only by an ideal combination
of weight, drag and lift the required results can be achieved. The
aim is to y over 80,000km (twice the lenght of Earth’s) around the
world in with a minimal use of 95 octane unleaded fuel. Besides
high speeds close to 300km/h (160kts), the aircraft must remain
stable at very low speeds below 80km/h (43kts). So far, this is the
only aircraft with such capabilities, so Pipistrel sets new standards
in environmentally-friendly and utility ying.
NEW RESEARCH
We will demonstrate that a lightweight aircraft can provide valuable
information on the black carbon - BC and light absorbing
carbonaceous aerosols - LACA concentrations, their regional
heterogeneity and vertical pro les with a minor payload and for
a fraction of the cost associated with large airborne platforms.
We will modify the aircraft to include an aerosol inlet and use an
Aethalometer to measure aerosol optical properties at di erent
wavelengths. The wavelength dependence of absorption will enable
us to attempt to apportion the BC concentrations to two major
sources: biomass and fossil fuel combustion. Measurements
will be performed throughout the ight and will include regions,
where no or very little measurements have taken place, such as
Antarctica, Africa and over the Atlantic and Paci c oceans.
ATTEMPTS TO:
y Fly the lightest 3-axis aircraft (290kg/640lb)
Around the World
y Burn the smallest amount of fuel
per distance own
y Fly world speed records
y Make the nicest book about World Waters
ROUTE
Over more than 50 countries
Italy, France, Spain, Marocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal,
Brazil, Franch Guiana, Surinam, Guiana, Venezuela, Trinidad
and Tobago, Carribean, Florida, Alabama, Misisipi, Lousiana, Texas,
Mexico, Guatemala, Salvador, Nikaragua, Costarica, Panama, Columbia,
Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Antarctic,
French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, Mjanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Congo,
Camerun, Central Afrcan Republic, Chad, Niger, Libya, Tunisia.
CONTINENTS HIGHEST MOUNTAINS
x Mt.Blanc – 4810 m (Europa)
x Aconcagua – 6960 m (S.America)
x Mt.Kasciusko - 2230 m(Avstralia)
x Mt. Everest - 8872 m(Asia)
x Kilimanjaro – 5895 m (Africa)
OCEANS
x South Atlantic 1670nm - 3100 km
x South Paci c 7720nm - 14300 km
x Inidan Ocean 2860nm - 5300 km
PILOT
Matevž Lenarcic (1959, Slovenia) has graduated in biology. An alpinist, paraglider, environmentalists,
photographer and a pilot, he has climbed all over the world and among others reached the top of
8051m Broad Peak in Himalaya and climbed extreme routes in Patagonia. He is author of 11 books (nature,
photography, climbing and ying), some of them awarded and translated in several languages.
He is also founder and director of Aerovizija d.o.o., company for aerial photography.
www.aerovizija.com
Matevž Lenarcic is experienced long distance ier.
Besides “normal” ying in Europe, mostly for aerial business purposes
(vertical and oblique photography), he has also some extreme ights under his belt:
x Worldtrannsiberia 2002: 28 000km over 8 countries incl. Russia
x Around The Only World 2004: 38 000km crossing 23 countries
x Africa - Valley of Life 2005: 17 000km over 13 countries
x The Alps - A Bird’s Eye View 2006 - 2009: 60 000km all over the Alps
He has own for more than 3000 hours all over the world, mostly with his ultra light motor glider and other single engine aircrafts.
He holds PPL - private pilot license with IFR - (instrumental ight rules) rating, night quali cation, and ULPL - ultralight pilot license.
Records:
x O cial national speed record Around the World Eastbound - C1a
x Ano cial world speed record Around the World Eastbound - C1a
x 2nd place national competition RAL2 2005
Aviation awards and prices
- Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI):
x Bronze colibry
x Silver colibry
x Diamond colibry
x Circumnavigator East Diamond
Active member (Supervisory Board) AOPA Slovenija (Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association) | Member AOPA America
Member EAA America (Experimental Aircraft Association) | Member aeroclub AK Prlek and Društvo Zgornjesavinjskih letalcev
