Solar Impulse 2 Plane Arrives İn China

A solar powered-plane attempting to navigate the globe landed in China on Tuesday, around 20 hours after leaving Myanmar on the fifth leg of its 'round-the world flight. 



Local media reported that Solar Impulse 2 - the world's largest solar-powered plane - had arrived in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing early Tuesday.



The plane departed Mandalay on Monday morning and arrived in Jiangbei International Airport at 1: 35 a.m. (1835GMT Monday) state news agency Xinhua said.



The pilot had initially planned to travel on quickly to Nanjing, about 270 km from Shanghai, but those plans were scuppered by bad weather and safety concerns.



Mission engineer Michael Anger said on the project's website Tuesday that the two-man crew was tired, but "very, very happy to be in Chongqing."



"In China it was demanding, this flight, especially for Bertrand but also for the team preparing two flights in a row and then this afternoon cancelling the second flight due to bad weather in Nanjing."



Bertrand Piccard is one of the two Swiss pilots of the solar-powered plane.



The duo battled extreme cold down to -20 degrees Celsius during the latest leg of the flight, using additional oxygen for the 1,375 km route. 



The team is expected to stay in Chongqing for a few days while it waits for better conditions for the trip east.



Solar Impulse 2 has a 72-metre wingspan, longer than a Boeing 747's. Its wings are covered in 17,000 solar cells, which generate enough energy to propel the 2.3-ton vehicle at average speeds of 70km per hour.  



The vast wingspan is lit up by rows of led lights.



The journey, which is due to be completed in 12 legs, started just under three weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, where the plane is due to return to by July. 



Since setting off, it has already set two world records for manned solar-powered flight.



One was for the longest distance covered in a single journey, during the 1,468 km leg between Muscat in Oman and Ahmedabad in India.



The other was for highest ground speed; the plane reached 216km per hour on its way to Myanmar from Varanasi, India.



The plane uses energy stored in a battery during daylight hours to power itself at night.



http://www.solarimpulse.com/



 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara