Many of you have told us you would like to buy Solar Impulse flight gear or meet and talk to the pilots. This might be your chance to get one or the other!  

Anyone is eligible - all you have to do is donate or raise an equivalent amount from your own network through Rally.org, our fundraising partner. If you donate or raise $50, you will receive a Solar Impulse Across America limited edition patch. Donate or raise $500 and you will receive a choice of rewards, either VIP tickets to an event in Washington D.C. or New York City OR a personalized Solar Impulse team bag!

Best of all, the proceeds will go to a good cause -- Solar Impulse educational events for students. Presentations at schools and hangar events are a big part of our time on the ground during our Across America flight and we want to continue to offer these educational events free of charge.  A $25 donation pays for one student, so every donation matters.

Your support helps us succeed. Please give to help share our story!

André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard

André and Bertrand are going to do an AMA (Ask me Anything) on Reddit.com Friday 1:00 pm ET / 10:00am PT/ 19 :00 CET. They will take all your questions for 1 hour!

This is the unique opportunity to ask everything you ever wanted to know about Solar Impulse! Here is the link to participate: http://bit.ly/18D9ebf

As the elegant solar airplane, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, is slowly making its way to the first destination on this 2013 Across America adventure, it’s worth mentioning all the things that are travelling with him to keep him company.

There are five symbolic objects accompanying Bertrand on this journey, which will also fly with André on future legs. In fact, these objects are an integral part of this coast-to-coast flight.

• Small piece of fabric from the historical Vin Fiz Flyer – the first aircraft to cross the United States in 1911, New York to California, piloted by Calbraith Perry Rodgers. It was the first flyer to be sold to a private citizen by the Wright brothers, who also trained Calbraith as a pilot in only 90 minutes. The Vin Fiz took 3 months to cross the United States at a speed of 45-55 mph (72-88 km/h) with over 15 crashes.
• Explorer’s Club Flag N°50 – The same flag travelled to Morocco onboard HB-SIA during the 2012 Crossing Frontiers mission. Flag n°50 has certainly seen more of the world than the solar airplane: it’s been accompanying world renowned explorers on the most diverse missions since 1932 – from Asia to Africa, to Easter Island and the Caucasus. Bertrand is a third generation explorer as both his grandfather and father were members of the Club who also carried a flag on their expeditions. 
• Clean Generation Flag – The 2013 Across America mission acts also as the launching of a global initiative to gather support for the adoption of clean technologies. Solar Impulse is the Ambassador of technological innovation and the project’s co-founders, Bertrand and André, are seeking to raise awareness worldwide in support of a more sustainable future. Thousands of Supporters are already part of this people-powered movement. With each stopover, a “Clean Generation” flag with the name of the destination will be left as a souvenir to the pioneering cities that have chosen to host Solar Impulse.
• Supporters Across America – As part of the “Clean Generation” initiative, the name of all the Supporters’ will be virtually carried by the pilots André and Bertrand, city to city, in the cockpit via a USB key. As more Supporters join, more names will be added as proof of growing awareness.
• Nilsie the Mascott – A WWF stuffed animal representing a meerkat joined the team at the end of the 2012 Crossing Frontiers mission. The Solar Impulse Ground Crew purchased it as a gift to their esteemed team leader, Nils, who’s always running around, taking care of his team, ensuring everything is proceeding smoothly. His short stature makes him stand tall, alert, constantly checking out what’s going on, just like a meerkat. Nilsie the Mascott is therefore a respected and important passenger of this year’s mission. 

During the last step of the Mission 2012 between Madrid and Payerne via Toulouse, many of you were the one day official photographer for Solar Impulse. The entire team was very touched about the interest many of you showed and the number of picture which was uploaded during this event. Believe me André and Bertrand had a hard time choosing the 2 winners, as the pictures were original and creative.

Congratulations to Olivier Rapin (picture on the left) and to Hakan Erbuke (picture below) who were chosen for their pictures. They will receive a Solar Impulse Cap, an official Team t-shirt and the HB-SIA’s book signed by the 2 pilots.

Have a look below to the 2 albums where you can find all the pictures taken during the contest.