Solar plane to land in Guj today

Much talked about Swiss-made aircraft Solar Impulse, the first plane in the world powered by solar energy is expected to land at Sardar Patel International Airport on Wednesday afternoon  and will remained parked for at least four days.

The solar aircraft has taken off from Abu Dhabi. It will cover 35,000 km with its founder and chief pilot Andre Borschberg along with co-founder Bertrand Piccard as the second pilot. After a journey of 10 hours that otherwise would take an hour, the aircraft will first land at Muscat in Oman. The plane’s best speed would be about 25 nautical miles or 45 km per hour.

As per the available information some legs of the trip, such as over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, will mean five days and five nights of flying solo. Both pilots have been training hard for this journey, which will span 25 flight days over five months before this Spruce Goose of renewable energy returns to Abu Dhabi in late July or August this year.

The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, a larger version of a single-seat prototype that first flew five years ago, has a wingspan of 72 metres, larger than that of the Boeing 747. Built into the wings are 17,248 ultra-efficient solar cells that transfer solar energy to four electrical motors that power the plane’s propellers. The solar cells also recharge four lithium polymer batteries.