📌 Plane B & Odyssey for Life: aviation – December 2024

Six years after first meeting with Futura-Mobility, aviator and Arctic explorer Loïc Blaise returned to the think tank in December 2024 to present the latest developments in Plane B. This pioneering project aims to create an aircraft capable of operating in full autonomy in extreme environments. At the heart of this adventure, two ground-breaking innovations: a revolutionary organic photovoltaic film and an advanced energy storage system that does away with the need for lithium.

FM: What challenges did you encounter on this expedition that shaped your vision?

LB: The Polar Kid world tour and my various missions with the hunters and dogs on the ice pack taught me three essential lessons. The most important being that medical and environmental prognoses can be thwarted by innovation and determination. I also experienced the harsh reality of access to energy in remote areas – in places like Nunavut or Siberia, you have to burn two barrels of fuel to transport just one, it’s absurd! I’ve also been on the front line of climate and environmental tragedy, witnessing first-hand the melting permafrost, the collapse of wildlife, the pollution of ecosystems that we would have thought pristine, and the displacement of populations. Finally, I was deeply encouraged by the culture of indigenous communities and their ability to live in harmony with limited resources.

Over the years, these links, along with my personal battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), have formed the basis of Plane B’s philosophy. The disease has taught me to manage my limited and variable energy, to pay attention to the smallest details, and to value small victories in everyday life. It has also taught me the importance of collaboration and mutual support. With Polar Kid, I also saw how a personal victory can inspire many others to find their own path to resilience, whatever that may be. We have to keep on opening up new avenues!

Above all, MS made me realise an essential truth: you can’t be healthy in a toxic environment. Health is a global issue, and our destinies are linked.

FM: How did you approach the challenge of creating a truly sustainable aircraft?

LB: I’ve always been fascinated by the Arctic Tern. We named our plane ‘L’Oiseau’ [‘The Bird’] after it and Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex. This little bird endlessly pursues the midnight sun and in its lifetime covers the equivalent of three times the distance between the Earth and Moon, sailing from pole to pole every year! It’s the undisputed champion of migration! She was in the back of my mind throughout the design process.

After exploring various options – e-fuels, hydrogen, etc. – we realised that none of them met our main challenge: reaching isolated regions with no existing infrastructure. One of the breakthroughs came in 2023 when a friend introduced me to a CNRS [French National Centre for Scientific Research] spin-off developing a revolutionary photovoltaic technology. While they were focusing on consumer electronics, I immediately saw its potential for aviation. Our other major challenge is to free ourselves from lithium – its extraction poses major environmental and social problems, and its technical limits are too restrictive for operating in extreme climates.

FM: This approach seems to go beyond just technical innovation?

LB: Indeed, we are developing what we call ‘Positive Aviation’ – in fact this is Plane B’s signature – aviation that serves the Earth and its people. I want to demonstrate that absolute freedom of movement is possible while respecting the limits of our planet. We are working on a harmonious weave between technology and the living world. This means doing more with less, while serving those who need it most. Every electron counts. We are creating an aircraft that is energy positive throughout its operational loop, and will soon be capable of producing more energy in flight than it consumes.

‘Positive Aviation’ is based on three pillars: environmental sustainability, thanks to clean energy and responsible materials; social utility, by operating where it is most urgently needed; and economic accessibility, by drastically reducing operational costs.

FM: Can you explain the technology that makes this vision a reality?

LB: At the heart of the project is a revolutionary photovoltaic film developed in collaboration with the CNRS. A ground-breaking technology, it transforms the aircraft into a real flying power plant, with every surface becoming an energy generator. The aircraft is completely enveloped and the skin’s ability to follow its shape means that it doesn’t cause any drag. Its uniqueness lies in its exceptional lightness, flexibility, and ability to capture energy efficiently, even in difficult light conditions.

The photovoltaic skin is produced without rare earth metals or silicon, with a minimal environmental footprint. Its production is offset by just one month of use! Our system also includes innovative collection and storage solutions for missions in isolated areas, including ‘La Fleur’, which, from a small package weighing just 4kg and measuring just 40 square centimetres can be deployed over a solar collection area of 14m2! These innovations mean not only can we meet our own needs, but also supply equipment and base camps off grid. We can operate in total autonomy, without relying on carbon-based energy sources.

FM: L’Oiseau also features sophisticated data and image capture systems. Can you tell us more about them?

LB: Indeed, we have equipped the aircraft with cutting-edge observation technologies: a LiDAR system for precise 3D mapping and multispectral cameras. This equipment enables us to collect vital data on the state of ecosystems, the evolution of glaciers, animal populations, the health of forests, and even search and rescue missions. What’s more, the plane is silent, so we don’t disturb the wildlife.

FM: Can you tell us more about the aircraft itself?

LB: Our basic platform is the Elektra Trainer, an engineering masterpiece designed by Calin Gologan, a pioneer in electric aviation. The design perfectly reflects our philosophy: maximise utility while minimising energy consumption. Once again, every electron counts. It is designed as a motor glider with a 14-metre wingspan, powered by a 70kW electric motor, capable of taking off and landing over very short distances. This STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) capability is vital for our missions.

For larger-scale operations, we will also be operating a 19-seat hybrid-electric support aircraft with a two-tonne capacity. It represents a crucial step towards commercial aviation of the future. It will also benefit from some of the advances developed for L’Oiseau.

FM: How far are you with certification?

LB: The Elektra Trainer has already been certified by the German and French aeronautical authorities for operating 2.5 to 3 hours on battery power, depending on its configuration. Our next step is to obtain certification for the integration of our photovoltaic skin system, which will increase the range to almost 6 hours for a standard configuration, while allowing me to transport a payload of up to 180kg.

FM: Who are the famous ‘godmother’ patrons of this project?

LB: With Plane B, we are combining cutting-edge technology with the voices of indigenous wisdom. Human resilience and innovation must go hand in hand. Eighty percent of the Earth’s biodiversity is protected by 5% of the population: the first peoples. We sought advice from people who care for their ecosystems and communities. Our mentors include Blandine Sankara, an agroecology pioneer in Burkina Faso, and Ann Andreasen, who works with Inuit youth in Greenland. They are my heroines: one heals the earth, the other children. They embody what we need to share, showing how communities can thrive in harmony with nature despite immense challenges and limited resources. This ancestral wisdom is essential to innovation – as Leonardo da Vinci once said, to truly innovate, we must humbly reconnect with the living.

We’re also working with world-renowned artists to transform L’Oiseau’s skin into a flying canvas, proving that solar technologies can be inspiring and send a message.

We are symbolically bringing to the heart of our plane the voices of those who can help us build a collective future. The fact that two of our main patrons are women reflects another broader reality – women are often at the forefront of environmental preservation and community care.

FM: What is your long-term vision for Plane B?

LB: Our ambition is to develop an affordable aircraft with extremely low operating costs, capable of operating in total autonomy in off-grid areas. There are many potential and crucial applications: from scientific missions to humanitarian actions, environmental monitoring and protecting migrants at sea. In fact, we’re in talks with Aviation Sans Frontières about our first practical use case.

Our first missions illustrate this spirit perfectly. The first will be a pan-European adventure, linking the hotspots of our continent and universities in major capitals. The second will be an Arctic mission that will not only enable us to collect unprecedented data and testimonies from indigenous communities, but will also go down in history as the very first zero-carbon polar air mission.

These ‘Odyssey for Life’ expeditions will take us to the most extreme and threatened environments on the planet, providing the ultimate test bed. We will connect urban centres with remote communities, modern universities with the custodians of traditional knowledge. At the same time, in 2025 we will be launching our digital platform. This will encourage people to participate in our mission by reducing their environmental footprint each year: the winter of 2022 was proof that this is possible.

This approach, based on incremental and measured progress, reflects the way I manage my multiple sclerosis: small victories, day after day. When you’re inspired by the results and surprised by your own successes, you find the strength to keep going. Victories make you enthusiastic and help you find an equilibrium in the chaos. Technology alone will not save the world. We need a positive mobilisation of citizens, and that’s what this platform is all about. Goodwill exists everywhere; it just needs to be catalysed and transformed into action.

Our odyssey will culminate in 2030 with a historic 36-hour flight from Ushuaïa to the South Pole. It will be the first positive-energy flight in history, with L’Oiseau generating more energy in flight than it consumes. This flight will symbolise a new paradigm for sustainable mobility and mark a turning point in the history of aviation.

Plane B is already in the flight test phase and will be officially launched in a few months’ time. Our project relies on the expertise and commitment of major players: the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, which is perpetuating the pioneering spirit of aviation; the Akuo Foundation, which is committed to a sustainable world based on solidarity; Human Rights Watch, a world leader in the defence of human rights; the Learning Planet Institute, at the cutting edge of educational innovation; Optipus PV, an expert in breakthrough photovoltaic technologies; and the CNRS, the world’s leading public scientific research organisation. To build on this momentum, we are looking for new visionary partners who are ready to support us in extending our trials, strengthening our team, and deploying our first operational missions.

We have to make young people dream again. Aviation made me and lifted me up when I fell ill. Plane B is not just a plane, it’s an invitation to reinvent our collective horizons. The aeroplane is not the enemy, it’s one of our greatest assets in the face of global challenges.

For more information on Plane B and Odyssey for Life, go to plane-b.org