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| Solar Impulse 2 Over Abu Dhabi |
Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), the solar-powered aircraft, piloted by Bertrand Piccard (Who replaced Andre Borschberg in Cairo) arrived in Abu Dhabi tonight after completing a circumnavigation journey around the Earth.
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| Bertrand Piccard |
Starting last year, Si2 travelled without incident until leaving China, at which time the batteries overheated and necessitated a landing in Japan. This caused a delay for battery replacement etc. which, unfortunately, closed a convenient weather-window for crossing the Pacific Ocean.
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| Andre Borschberg |
The flight recommenced earlier this year, crossing the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving in Spain last week, preparations were made to complete the flight over the Mediterranean Sea, with a stop in Cairo.
A number of records were broken during the flight, the most impressive being the longest non-stop flight of five days (From Nagoya to Hawaii), not to mention the first solar-powered flight around the globe.
We must congratulate the team who made this historic flight possible and, now, wonder what comes next. Nevertheless, the sense of a great accomplishment is diminished when the aircraft stops every couple of days for approximately two weeks while waiting for ideal meteorological conditions.
Personally, it seems that the aircraft has proven that, with a few modifications, it could accomplish a non-stop circumnavigation journey … sponsors willing.
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| Two distinguished Adventurers |
