Solar-Powered Plane makes Trans-Atlantic Flight

By Katie Davis

The Solar Impulse 2 an experimental solar-powered airplane recently completed an unprecedented three-day flight across the Atlantic Ocean in the latest leg of a globe-circling voyage.

The Trans-Atlantic flight of the Solar Impulse 2 which began in New York City, on the East Coast of the United States ended 71 hours and 8 minutes later when the plane landed in Seville, Southern Spain.

Solar Impulse 2 is the first solar-powered plane to make such a voyage using zero fuel and zero emissions. The wings of Solar Impulse 2, which stretch wider than those of a Boeing 747, are equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power propellers and charge the batteries so the plane can fly at night.

Data from the Trans-Atlantic flight show that the Solar Impulse 2 had flown 4,204 miles at a maximum height of 28,000 feet and average speed of 59 mph on its 15th leg journey around-the-world which started in March 2015 from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The organizers said the mission will continue onward to Abu Dhabi to finish the globe-circling voyage. And also comments that the project shown that “exploration and pioneering are no longer about conquering new territories, but about exploring new ways to have a better quality of life on earth.”

Andre Borschberg, one of the Swiss pilots of the Solar Impulse 2 said in a statement, “Initially the aviation industry told us it was impossible to build such an airplane, but we believed we could do it, thanks to all our partners’ technologies.”