Solar Impulse 2 |
An aircraft attempting to
circumnavigate the globe powered only by the sun's energy has broken a
world record for the longest non-stop solo flight, the project team
said.
The Solar Impulse 2,
which took off from Japan on Monday on the seventh leg of its journey,
has shattered the solo-flight record threshold of 76 hours while
crossing the Pacific.
The plane, which has a wingspan bigger than a jumbo jet, is expected to land in Hawaii around 14:30 GMT on Friday.
Solar Impulse 2, piloted alternatively by Swiss explorers Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, set off on its 35,000km journey around the world from Abu Dhabi on March 9.
"Can you imagine that a solar powered airplane without fuel can now
fly longer than a jet plane!" said Piccard in a statement. "This is a
clear message that clean technologies can achieve impossible goals."
Since leaving Abu Dhabi, Solar Impulse 2 has flown seven legs of 13
in an attempt to be the first single manned solar-powered plane to fly
around the world.
The plane is powered entirely by the 17,248 solar panels on its wings.
The five-day leg from Japan to Hawaii was regarded as the most challenging part of the journey.
"If we did a five-day flight across a continent and we encountered
any problems - be it weather, operational issues, there's an alternate
airport we can land," the project's managing director Gregory Blatt told
Al Jazeera.
"Crossing the Pacific, there is no alternate airport so that's what
keeps me up at night, that's what keeps up the teams, the engineers, the
pilots. This is a first ever - are we going to be able to make it?"
If successful, the 120-plus hour flight to Hawaii will also break
records for the longest distance flown by a aircraft powered only by the
sun.
Live video from the cockpit of the plane is being broadcast on YouTube and shows pilot André Borschberg wearing an oxygen mask and thick flight clothes to protect him from the cold.
Source: Al Jazeera And Reuters
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