Solar plane passes new test ahead of planned world tour
The solar-powered plane’s launch is dependent on weather conditions but could be as early as next weekend.
The hour-long test flight was the plane’s third from the UAE capital Abu Dhabi’s Al-Bateen airport and reported no problems.
Solar Impulse 2 is powered by more than 17 000 solar cells built into its wings which, at 72 metres, are almost as long as those of an Airbus A380 airliner.
The light-weight carbon fibre aircraft weighs 2.3-tonnes which is less than one percent of the weight of a A380. The solar plane will travel at speeds of between 50 and 100 kilometres per hour. The plane will fly at the slower speeds at night to prevent the batteries from draining too quickly.
The 35 000 km worldwide flight will see the plane fly from Abu Dhabi to Muscat in the neighbouring Gulf sultanate of Oman before crossing the Arabian Sea to India. The plane will then visit Myanmar, China, Hawaii and New York.
Landings are also earmarked for the midwestern United States and either southern Europe or north Africa, depending on weather conditions.
In 2010, a smaller aircraft Solar Impulse, completed a 26-hour flight which proved that sufficient power could be stored in the plane’s lithium batteries during the day to keep plane airborne at night.
The pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard will take turn at the controls of Solar Impulse 2 because the aircraft is a single seater design.
The pilot will be linked to a control centre in Monaco that will house a team weathermen, air traffic controllers and engineers. A team of 65 support staff will travel with the two pilots.
The aircraft is scheduled to arrive back in Abu Dhabi in July 2015.
Two years ago, Borschberg and Piccard flew the original version of their plane on a two-month journey across the USA.
The new aircraft complted its maiden test flight in Switzerland in June 2015.
It was then disassembled in November and shipped to Abu Dhabi, where further testing has taken place.
In 2014, ABB and Solar Impulse formed an innovation and technology alliance and three ABB engineers will support the plane on every mile of its 35 000 km journey.
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