Solar impulse 2 resumes round-the-world journey

Solar Impulse 2 flies over the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during its preparation last year.

Solar Impulse 2, the revolutionary solar-powered plane, has resumed its round-the-world journey that started in Abu Dhabi in March 2015.
The plane's first flight of 2016 is being attempted by the initiative's founder and chairman Bertrand Piccard, who is expected to fly solo for 62 hours across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to the West Coast of the United States, the trip's ninth leg overall.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company and a key supporter of the Si2 odyssey, said: "Solar Impulse and Masdar share a visionary spirit and a common goal of advancing renewable energy."
"Having accepted a challenge considered impossible by many, the pilots are redefining the world's perception of what can be achieved through clean-tech innovation and of the possibilities of renewable energy."
Masdar is Solar Impulse's official host partner. After the plane's arrival in Abu Dhabi in January last year, Masdar supported the flight team's community outreach campaign, welcoming more than 2,000 students to the plane's hangar at Al Bateen Executive Airport.
The plane takes to the skies again as the world marks Earth Day on April 22. It also coincides with the signing of the Paris Agreement, the landmark agreement on addressing climate change secured at the COP21 meetings in Paris.
UAE National Hasan Al Redaini, an employee of Mubadala Development Company and Masdar ambassador, is following Solar Impulse 2 on its round-the-world journey with the plane's logistical team.
"We are following each step of the flight's journey with great excitement and are looking forward to welcoming the plane back to the UAE," added Masdar's CEO, Mohamed Al Ramahi. "Solar Impulse symbolises the positive potential of human endeavour, and we are inspired by its message of hope."
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com