Who is Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard was born on 1 March 1958 in Lausanne, Switzerland. A physician, psychiatrist and explorer, his career combines medical practice, aviation projects and the promotion of environmental technologies. He holds a medical doctorate from the University of Lausanne and was elected an associate member of Belgium’s Royal Academy in 2021. [7]
Family, medicine and early flying
His grandfather Auguste Piccard investigated the stratosphere, while his father Jacques explored the ocean depths. Bertrand developed his own flying activities through hang-gliding and microlight aircraft. He became European hang-gliding aerobatics champion in 1985 before turning his attention increasingly towards long-distance flight. [8]
Medicine developed alongside those activities. His professional biography places his specialisation in adult and child psychiatry and psychotherapy between 1987 and 1995. He maintained a psychotherapy practice until 2006 and taught hypnosis to doctors and psychologists, later devoting more time to expeditions and public speaking. [9]
The round-the-world balloon flight
In 1992 he won the first Chrysler Challenge transatlantic balloon race. Moving from sporting flights to major crossings required meteorological planning, navigation and support teams. That experience preceded Breitling Orbiter, the project through which he would attempt a nonstop circumnavigation. [10]
The first two attempts fell short. A fuel leak ended the 1997 flight after about six hours. In 1998, the absence of permission to cross China constrained the route and the balloon landed in Burma. The final expedition drew on experience gained through those unsuccessful attempts. [11]
On 1 March 1999, Piccard and British pilot Brian Jones departed Château-d’Œx aboard Breitling Orbiter 3. They landed in Egypt on 21 March after completing the first nonstop balloon flight around the world. The balloon combined helium and heated air, with a pressurised capsule accommodating both crew members. [12]
Developing and flying Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse began in 2003 with André Borschberg and scientific collaboration from EPFL. The project aimed to keep an aircraft flying through day and night using solar energy. Before the circumnavigation, development included tests and crossings such as Switzerland to Morocco in 2012 and the United States in 2013. [3]
A decisive milestone was the July 2010 overnight flight at Payerne. Borschberg, flying the prototype, demonstrated continued flight using energy stored during daylight. Distinguishing project leadership from the pilot responsible for each stage helps explain how Solar Impulse’s achievements were built. [13]
Around twenty EPFL laboratories and centres contributed work on composite materials, lightweight structures, wing strength, solar cells and electronic systems. The aircraft resulted from multidisciplinary development: endurance depended on collecting and storing energy as well as reducing weight and consumption. [14]
The circumnavigation begun in 2015 encountered a major interruption in Hawaii. Batteries had suffered overheating damage during Borschberg’s flight from Japan. Repairs and preparations for resuming the journey extended the schedule into 2016, highlighting the importance of testing and technical margins in an experimental aircraft. [15]
On 26 July 2016, Piccard completed the final leg in Abu Dhabi. The journey had involved seventeen stages over seventeen months, with the pilots alternating. It demonstrated solar flight without onboard fuel, using an experimental single-seat aircraft supported by an international technical and logistical organisation. [16]
Foundation and environmental solutions
After the expedition, the Solar Impulse Foundation focused on identifying environmental technologies with a viable economic model. In April 2021 it announced that its challenge of assessing a thousand solutions had been achieved. Its label covers products, processes and services selected through the foundation’s own criteria and procedures. [17]
The Solutions Explorer, introduced in 2021, organised that catalogue for users. Its sectors include water, energy, construction, mobility, industry and agriculture. It aims to connect solution developers with potential adopters, turning public interest in the aviation project towards practical decisions about technology and investment. [18]
Climate Impulse and hydrogen aviation
Climate Impulse is his next aviation project with engineer and pilot Raphaël Dinelli. It proposes a nonstop circumnavigation in an aircraft powered by green hydrogen. The official schedule consulted in November 2026 places the target in 2030: the mission remains under development, dependent on construction and flight testing. [19]
Winds of Hope and public health
Piccard and Brian Jones established Winds of Hope on 9 September 1999 using resources associated with their expedition. Following its work against noma, the foundation now pursues an initiative on cleaner household cooking and energy in African communities, in collaboration with Solar Impulse. [20]
In 2004, WHO documented an agreement signed by Piccard committing two million dollars over five years to support efforts against noma in Africa. The programme addressed prevention, early detection and access to basic care. This forms part of his humanitarian and public-health work through health organisations and local teams. [21]
Books and recognition
The Breitling Orbiter experience led to a book co-written with Brian Jones in 1999. Published under titles including The Greatest Adventure and Around the World in 20 Days, it recounts the expedition’s preparation and progress, preserving the perspectives of both crew members who shared the flight. [22]
Later books include Changer d’altitude (2014), on changing personal perspective; Objectif Soleil (2017), co-written with André Borschberg about Solar Impulse; and Réaliste (2021), presenting his case for combining ecology and economics. They cover the main strands of his work: psychology, exploration and environmental transition. [23]
He was elected an honorary member of the Académie de l’air et de l’espace in June 1999. [10]
Fatigue and alertness during extended operations
In December 2013, Piccard participated in a 72-hour Solar Impulse flight simulation. EPFL, Hirslanden and Lausanne University Hospital CHUV recorded brain activity, heart rhythm and responses in vigilance tests to investigate monitoring of alertness. [5]
Application to shift organisation
For occupational prevention, the useful issue is examining working time, workload and recovery together. HSE identifies sleep loss and poorly designed shifts as fatigue factors that can impair attention and decision-making. [6]
The case can frame questions about detecting declining alertness and deciding what organisational action should follow. A workplace application would be reviewing breaks, handovers and critical tasks with competent professionals, rather than presenting an explorer’s exceptional coping strategies as a substitute for appropriate work planning.
