Solar plane set for round-the-world flight

Abu Dhabi- Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are to attempt to fly around the world in a plane powered solely by the sun, seeking to prove that such a flight is possible without using fossil fuel.

The first solar-powered plane, able to fly day and night, will land in 12 locations across the world and travel 35,000 kilometres in the first attempt to fly around the globe without using a drop of fuel.

With a wingspan wider than a Boeing 747 but weighing just the same as a family car, Solar Impulse 2 is expected to complete the 35,000km flight over a period of five months, taking off from Abu Dhabi.

Video Courtesy: Solar Impulse/YouTube 

For pilots Piccard and Borschberg, the drive behind their mission is to demonstrate how clean technologies and a pioneering spirit can change the world.

Si2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi in late February or early March and return by late July or early August 2015. The route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Myanmar; and Chongqing and Nanjing, China.

After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, Si2 will fly across the US stopping in Phoenix and New York City. A third stop-over location in the Midwest will be decided depending on the weather conditions. After crossing the Atlantic, the final legs include a stop in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi.

The first round-the-world solar adventure will take approximately 25 flight days, spread over five months and covering approximately 35,000 kilometres at speeds of between 50 and 100 km/h.