Solar Impulse 2 has completed the first round-the-world flight by a solar-powered aeroplane, after touching down in Abu Dhabi early on Tuesday. The plane could fly almost perpetually but the pilots cannot, due to the gruelling conditions aboard. The plane, which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 747 and carries more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings, began the circumnavigation in March 2015 in Abu Dhabi. I did hundreds of hours to be allowed to fly a prototype aeroplane.”Piccard and Borschberg, both Swiss, are seasoned adventurers. “I hope people will understand that it is not just a first in the history of aviation, but also a first in the history of energy,” he said.

Source: The Guardian July 26, 2016 00:06 UTC