ABU DHABI // Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, the Swiss co-founders and pilots of Solar Impulse, revealed the flight path of Solar Impulse 2 on Tuesday at Al Bateen Executive Airport.
On display in an airport hangar, Si2 will take off from the capital in late February or early March and return from circumnavigating the globe in late July or early August.
“With our attempt to complete the first solar powered round-the-world flight, we want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible,” said Mr Piccard, chairman of Solar Impulse.
It will be the first solar-powered plane to fly day and night, and will land in 12 locations around the world. In its attempt to fly around the world without using a drop of fuel, it will travel 35,000 kilometres.
After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii on an expected five-day journey, Si2 will fly across the continental US, stopping in three locations including Phoenix, Arizona, and New York.
“We know how to fly across continents, but we will have to learn how to fly over the oceans,” Mr Piccard said.
After crossing the Atlantic, the final leg will include a stopover in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi.
The first part of the route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India and Mandalay, Myanmar.
“The President of Myanmar even came to Switzerland to see us and see the plane and said ‘I will inform my population immediately so they can look forward to your coming’,” Mr Picard said. “It’s going to be one of the great moments.”.. see more
source: thenational.ae
Tags: Abu Dhabi, Science, Solar Impulse 2
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