Solar plane to make first cross-continent flight
April 25th, 2012 - 8:33 am ICT by IANSBern, April 25 (IANS) The world’s largest solar-powered plane, Swiss-made Solar Impulse, will take its first-ever cross-continent flight in May or June.
The plane, co-piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, will attempt for the first time to fly more than 2,500 km, taking off in Payerne in western Switzerland, crossing the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean without using fuel, and landing in Morocco.
The exact date for taking off will be decided according to weather condition, said Andre Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse that made the aircraft.
Bertrand Piccard and Borschberg will take turns to fly the aircraft on its 48-hour journey, with a scheduled stopover near Madrid to change pilots, Xinhua reported.
This long-duration flight will serve as a dress rehearsal for the round-the-world flight in 2014, and will allow the team to gather experience in cooperating with international airports, integrating the prototype into regular air traffic patterns, and managing the logistics of maintenance, said Borschberg.
Solar Impulse, the first aircraft that can fly day and night without fuel or polluting emissions, has a wingspan of 63.4 meters, as wide as an Airbus A340, and weighs only 1,600 kg. It has 12,000 solar cells mounted on the wings, which provide momentum for its four electric motors.
The plane took its first international flight from Switzerland to Brussels May 13, 2011, and marked its second international flight to Paris in June last year.
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- Swiss solar powered aircraft begins first international flight - May 13, 2011
- Solar Impulse plane completes record-breaking 24-hour flight - Jul 08, 2010
- Solar Plane Lands Subsequent To The Attainment Of Its Initial 24-Hour Flight - Jul 11, 2010
- Solar Plane Lands Safely After Flying Through The Night - Jul 11, 2010
- Solar Plane Being Readied For Nocturnal Flight - Jun 16, 2010
- Swiss solar plane makes first flight - Apr 07, 2010
- Swiss team plans to fly solar plane all night - Jun 16, 2010
- Manned Solar Plane Scheduled To Fly At Night - Jun 16, 2010
- Solar Plane lands safely after a 24-hour flight - Jul 11, 2010
Tags: air traffic, airbus a340, bertrand piccard, co founder, dress rehearsal, duration flight, international airports, international flight, paris in june, payerne, pyrenees, solar cells, solar impulse, stopover, traffic patterns, weather condition, western switzerland, wingspan, world flight, xinhua