It’s two down and 10 to go for Solar Impulse 2 and its round-the-world solar-powered mission – after crossing the Arabian Sea to reach Ahmedabad, India after a 16h, 790nm (1,465km) second leg from Muscat, Oman.
The flight followed a shorter first leg from Abu Dhabi; from Ahmedabad, Solar Impulse 2 will carry on across India and China – then cross the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, to New York before crossing the Atlantic, ultimately returning to Abu Dhabi.
Programme co-founders André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are taking turns at the controls of the single-seater, which draws all of its power from the solar panels on its wings and fuselage. Borschberg opened proceedings on the Abu Dhabi-Muscat leg.
The aircraft has a wingspan of 72m (236ft) – a Boeing 747-8I comes in at 68.5m – but weighs just 2,300kg (5,070lb) – about the mass of a car – and including its 2,077kg load of lithium batteries. The materials and assembly techniques that make such a lightweight structure possible, combined with the solar power harvesting and electronics needed to keep the aircraft flying day and night, are the message behind this project.
During their five-month, 12-stage journey, Borschberg and Piccard will be meeting governments, non-governmental organisations, universities and schools to drive the point that global energy challenges can be met with existing technology – as demonstrated by their aircraft.
And as pilots, the pair are also breaking new ground in endurance. They are employing diet, exercise and micro-napping techniques to cope with the challenge of staying aloft for up to six days at a stretch, a feat that will face them on the transpacific legs.
Bertrand Piccard ready to take off from Muscat
Solar Impulse
Source: FlightGlobal.com
