The idea is that Solar Impulse will take off and fly under its own power using electricity from the 11, 628 solar cells covering the upper surfaces of its wings and tailplane.

ECONOMIST: Electric planes

The Demon system's success in controlling roll, one of the three axes of movement of a body in free space, is also leading engineers to wonder if the other two axes, pitch and yaw, might similarly be transferred to fluidic systems from, respectively, the elevator flaps on the tailplane and the rudder on the tail.

ECONOMIST: How to fly without ailerons