Solar powered plane makes it first flight - Fusion - WeRIndia

A Swiss solar-powered plane took its flight from Abu Dhabi Monday, marking the beginning of the flying round the world without a drop of fuel.

Solar Impulse founder Andre Borschberg was at the controls of the single-seater once it took off from the Al Bateen government airdrome. Borschberg can trade off piloting with star Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard throughout stop-overs.

The Swiss pilots say their aim is to make awareness concerning substitution of “old polluting technologies with clean and economical technologies.”

The plane is predicted to achieve its destination of Muscat, Sultanate of Oman after ten hours of flight.

The light-weight Solar Impulse two, a bigger version of a single-seat protoype that initial flew 5 years ago, is made of carbon fiber and has 17,248 solar cells in the wing. They provide the plane with renewable energy. The solar cells recharge four metal chemical compound batteries.

The company says the plane has a 72-meter (236-foot) wingspan, larger than that of the Boeing 747, but weighs about as much as a car at around 2,300 kilograms (5,070 pounds).

Image Reference: timesofindia