Solar plane’s ‘milestone in history’
PHOENIX: A solar-powered airplane landed in Phoenix early yesterday morning after a flight from California that included several hours in the air after sundown.
The Solar Impulse set down at about 12.30am at Sky Harbor Airport, completing the first leg of a planned cross-country US trip that its co-pilot described as a “milestone” in aviation history.
The Solar Impulse – considered the world’s most advanced sun-powered plane – left Moffett Field in Mountain View near San Francisco just after dawn on Friday. Its creators said the trip was the first attempt by a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, to fly across the US.
Video posted on the expedition’s website showed smiling pilot Bertrand Piccard shortly after landing as he waved to well-wishers and held up a flag emblazoned with the Solar Impulse name. “It’s a little bit like being in a dream,” Piccard said.
The plane is powered by about 12 000 photovoltaic cells that cover massive wings and charge its batteries. The delicate, single-seat Solar Impulse flies at about 64km/h and can’t go through clouds. It weighs about as much as a car, making it vulnerable to bad weather. Its creators said solar planes would never replace fuel-powered commercial flights. But the goal is to showcase the potential of solar power. – Sapa
AP