Solar Impulse 2 left New York on Monday on its way across the Atlantic Ocean. The 100% solar-powered plane is expected to land at Seville Airport in Spain on Thursday 23 June, a four-day four-night non-stop flight. The Atlantic crossing is one of the most challenging legs the aircraft’s global flight.
Piccard ready to go in NYC – @ Solar Impulse
Swiss adventurer, Bertrand Piccard is the sole pilot on this leg. The video below shows take-off, with Piccard exclaiming: “Let’s go for the Atlantic my friends!”
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made a similar flight across the Atlantic, from Long Island, New York, to Paris, in his aircraft the Spirit of St. Louis. The big difference between these two flights is the quantity of fuel. Lindbergh set off with around 1,700 litres of gasoline. Piccard took off with none.
The planned route from New York to Seville in Spain – @ Solar Impulse
Clicking here allows you to following the crossing live.
The next leg of the journey, from Europe to Abu Dhabi, will be the final one, taking the plane back to where it started its round-the-world trip on 9 March 2015.
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
