Solar plane’s round-the-world flight to begin from Abu Dhabi

A plane with the top speed of a homing pigeon is set to embark on a landmark round-the-world flight powered only by the sun’s energy, organizers said Tuesday.

Solar Impulse 2, the first solar-powered plane to be able to fly for several days and nights, will land 12 times along its roughly 35,000 km trip — including a five-day stretch above the Pacific Ocean without a drop of fuel.

“We want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible,” said Solar Impulse chairman Bertrand Piccard, the scion of a dynasty of Swiss scientists-cum-adventurers.

“Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives, and together we can help save our planet’s natural resources.”

The plane’s route was unveiled Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, where it will begin the journey in late February or early March.

It will first stop at Muscat in Oman, to benefit from the Gulf’s low-cloud conditions, before crossing the Arabian Sea to India and heading on to Myanmar, China, Hawaii and New York.

Original article by Agence France Presse

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Solar plane’s round-the-world flight to begin from Abu Dhabi