Solar Impulse 2 lands in Ohio on record-breaking flight
AFP
May 22, 2016 10:19 MYT
May 22, 2016 10:19 MYT
A handout picture obtained on May 13, 2016 from Solar Impulse 2 shows ground crew members towing the experimental solar-powered aircraft after Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. AFP PHOTO
The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft landed in Dayton, Ohio on the latest leg of a record-breaking trip to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel after taking off from Tulsa, Oklahoma earlier on Saturday.
The solar-powered plane piloted by Swiss businessman Andre Borschberg, arrived at 9:56 pm (0156 GMT Sunday) at Dayton International Airport after an 16 hour 34 minute flight aimed at promoting renewable energy, live video feed showed.
The slow-moving, single-seat plane with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 cuts a flimsy figure, but it has traversed much of the globe in stages since taking off March 9, 2015 from Abu Dhabi, with Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard alternating as pilots.
The aircraft -- clad in thousands of solar cells, the sole source of energy for the flight -- reached its destination more than an hour ahead of schedule.