SolarImpulse Around the World patch.
March 9, 2015
Image Above: Solar plane take off Monday in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates for travel in 12 steps expected to last five months, to promote clean energy.
Solar plane landed without incident Monday night in Oman. This is the first step in a series of 12 in his round the world expected to last five months.
The only solar unit took 13 hours and two minutes to connect Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE, Muscat, capital of Oman.
Solar Impulse 2 First Landing in Muscat
André Borschberg was in control of the aircraft for the first twelve steps in the world tour that will last five months. When the cockpit door opened, the pilot was welcomed by Bertrand Piccard, wearing a traditional turban from Oman.
Bertrand Piccard must relay it to the next step, between Muscat and Ahmedabad, India, scheduled for Tuesday. After India comes Burma, before the longest leg of the journey: Five consecutive days of flight to a single driver loaded rally Nanjing, China, the US islands of Hawaii and the Pacific.
Ignition delay
The revolutionary aircraft take off at 7:12 (4:12 in Switzerland) in the capital of the UAE shortly after sunrise. A light breeze swept the tarmac while the small airport Al Bateen.
Image Above: The two Swiss pilot in orange uniform, André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, have made the last night inspections and Mr. Borschberg which is installed in the cockpit of the single-seater plane to the applause of all his team.
The takeoff of Abu Dhabi, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed due to strong winds that blew through the area during the weekend. On Monday, the unit is left with 42 minutes behind schedule. "An alarm was turned on due to a connector problem," said Bertrand Piccard.
Political Message
Around the World is the culmination of twelve years of research by two Swiss drivers, in addition to scientific achievement, seek to convey a political message.
Shortly after takeoff, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter praised the "pioneering adventure" which constitutes the travel Solar Impulse 2. It will "show the younger generation that apparently inaccessible horizons yesterday is already within our reach today," has he added, quoted in a press release of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
"We want to share our vision of a clean future," said his side Bertrand Piccard. "Climate change offers a fantastic opportunity to bring to market new green technologies" that will help "preserve the natural resources of our planet, create jobs and support growth" economy.
Bertrand Piccard will land
The plane, called SI2 (Solar Impulse 2), is powered by over 17,000 solar cells lining the wings of 72 meters, almost as long as those of an Airbus A380. But SI2, designed carbon fiber, weighs only 2.5 tons - as much as a family 4X4, less than 1% of the weight of the A380.
Image Above: The airplane Solar Impulse 2 landed without incident Monday night in Oman. The only solar unit took 13 hours and two minutes to connect Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE, Muscat, capital of Oman.
In total, the unit will travel 35,000 kilometers, at a relatively modest speed (between 50 and 100 km / h), flying over two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic). This convolution, at 8500 meters at maximum altitude, take five months, including 25 days of actual flight before returning to Abu Dhabi late July / early August. Bertrand Piccard will be at the controls of the device if all goes well.
Petition launched
Mr Piccard said the public could "follow live all that we do in the cockpit" and "in the mission control center in Monaco" on the active site "solarimpulse.com". He said a petition was launched to promote clean energy to the general public on the http://futureisclean.org site.
A total of 130 people participated in the adventure 65 will accompany the pilots around the world (as part of the logistical support) and 65 others will be in Monaco at the mission control center (meteorologists, air traffic controllers and engineers) .
Round-The-World Solar Flight - Follow it live: http://www.solarimpulse.com/city-stop-oman
For more information about Solar Impulse 2, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse / Orbiter.ch Aerospace.
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