SolarImpulse - Around the World patch.
March 18, 2015
The solar plane has completed the third phase of its Indian world tour. After taking off Wednesday morning from Ahmedabad, the aircraft landed in the holy city of the north in the evening March 18, 2015.
Image above: The solar plane has completed the third phase of its Indian world tour. After taking off Wednesday morning Ahmedabad (photo), the aircraft landed in the holy city of the north in the evening.
Solar Impulse landed Wednesday evening in Varanasi in northern India after more than fourteen hour flight and a thousand kilometers, according to images broadcast on its YouTube channel.
The unit led by the Vaudois André Borschberg took off Wednesday at 7:18 (2:48 hours in Switzerland) Ahmedabad northwest India. After a nine-hour stop in Indian holy city, he will leave Thursday morning for Mandalay, Burma, before continuing his run to China.
Solar Impulse 2 Asia run
The fog had prevented Solar Impulse take off from Ahmedabad Tuesday as planned. The revolutionary device was initially even start Sunday, but had been prevented by bad weather.
Indian bureaucracy criticized
Bertrand Piccard had complained earlier Wednesday slowness of the Indian bureaucracy. The driver explained that the take-off of the unit of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat, was delayed because of red tape.
"The delay is due to the administration, papers, pads," he said. "I'm not here to accuse anyone. I'm just saying that in the last five days, we tried to gather the necessary buffers and every day, we were told 'tomorrow'. " "For five days we try to have buffers and we are still missing", stressed Bertrand Piccard.
By performing a world tour in twelve steps, the two Swiss Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg want to show that clean and renewable energy technologies can perform feats far considered as "impossible".
Bertrand Piccard the pilot of the fourth step around the world
Solar Impulse took off for its fourth flight from Varanasi (Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, VNS/VIBN) in the Republic of India, to Mandalay (Mandalay International Airport, MDL/VYMD) in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at 23:52 UTC.
Solar Impulse 2 ready for take off from Varanasi
The pilot is flying the zero-fuel airplane on about 1408km (760NM) for an estimated time of 20 hours. South of the Himalayas, the meeting of the jet streams can cause difficult crosswind for Si2.
Solar Impulse 2 actually in flight on this morning March 19, 2015
The pit-stop is the opportunity for pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg to share the symbol of Solar Impulse with the people of Varanasi.
For more information about Solar Impulse 2 Flight Around the World and follow it live: http://www.solarimpulse.com/rtw
Images, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse/ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.
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