Solar Impulse Global Flight Completes First Leg

By R. Siva Kumar - 10 Mar '15 11:09AM

Now it's over, the first leg.

The global solar-powered plane has completed the first leg of its plan to travel all around the world.

Called Solar Impulse-2, the aircraft got launched from Abu Dhabi, and flew east towards Muscat, Oman. Andre Borschbeg, the businessman and pilot, was at the controls, and the aircraft reached Oman at 16:14 GMT, finishing a round of 12 hours, according to BBC.The flight flew over an area of 400 kms.

The aircraft touched down in Muscat after nightfall, 13 hours and two minutes after taking off from Abu Dhabi, according to france24.

Before taking off, Borschberg told BBC News: "I am confident we have a very special aeroplane, and it will have to be to get us across the big oceans. We may have to fly for five days and five nights to do that, and it will be a challenge. But we have the next two months, as we fly the legs to China, to train and prepare ourselves."

In the following five months, the plane is bound to zoom from one continent to the next over the Pacific as well as the Atlantic oceans. "And there we are... confirmation we're down. Solar Impulse has touched the ground," said a flight controller, even as the plane's wheels touched the tarmac. Mr Borschberg was a co-pilot with a Swiss driver, Bertrand Piccard.

The plane is slated to halt at various areas throughout the world, rest as well as maintain and run a drive on clean technologies.

Calling it a "solar revolution ", Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst, said that "It's a deep-breath moment in the history of technology as Solar Impulse soars to the skies. This new model has a wingspan of 72m, which is wider than a 747 jumbo jet. And yet, it weighs only 2.3 tonnes. The light weight has been critical to its success."

There are 17,000 solar cells on the wings, while the energy-dense lithium-ion batteries will be used to drive the nightly sojourns.