Solar Impulse nears end of US cross-country flight
Source: AFP |
June 17, 2013, Monday
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THE solar-powered Solar Impulse aircraft landed near the US capital early yesterday on the second to last leg of its cross-country journey, organizers said.
The single-seater plane, which runs on four electric propellers powered by as many as 12,000 solar cells mounted on its 63-meter wingspan, touched down smoothly in the dark at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC at 12:15am local time.
The Solar Impulse usually lands late at night, when airport traffic has subsided.
At the controls was Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard, who is taking turns with compatriot Andre Borschberg on the various legs of the flight across the United States.
"It might seem easy, but it's the result of a lot of work," Piccard said shortly after landing, highlighting a decade of effort, including developing the plane and studying weather records.
He said the flight has shown "we can achieve unbelievable things" with renewable energy, saying his plane is "so efficient, so reliable it can fly without any fuel day and night."
The plane will spend around two weeks in the Washington area and will be available for public visits at the Udvar-Hazy wing of Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
"To be hosted by the Smithsonian Institution is an honor for Solar Impulse," Piccard said, adding that he hoped his plane might join the museum's permanent collection.
"Congrats & welcome!" the museum said on its Twitter feed shortly after the plane touched down, in a landing broadcast live on the organizer's website, live.solarimpulse.com.
The final leg of the cross-country journey will take the plane to New York City on the east coast.
The single-seater plane, which runs on four electric propellers powered by as many as 12,000 solar cells mounted on its 63-meter wingspan, touched down smoothly in the dark at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC at 12:15am local time.
The Solar Impulse usually lands late at night, when airport traffic has subsided.
At the controls was Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard, who is taking turns with compatriot Andre Borschberg on the various legs of the flight across the United States.
"It might seem easy, but it's the result of a lot of work," Piccard said shortly after landing, highlighting a decade of effort, including developing the plane and studying weather records.
He said the flight has shown "we can achieve unbelievable things" with renewable energy, saying his plane is "so efficient, so reliable it can fly without any fuel day and night."
The plane will spend around two weeks in the Washington area and will be available for public visits at the Udvar-Hazy wing of Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
"To be hosted by the Smithsonian Institution is an honor for Solar Impulse," Piccard said, adding that he hoped his plane might join the museum's permanent collection.
"Congrats & welcome!" the museum said on its Twitter feed shortly after the plane touched down, in a landing broadcast live on the organizer's website, live.solarimpulse.com.
The final leg of the cross-country journey will take the plane to New York City on the east coast.
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