Solar-powered plane set for more Mediterranean voyage

The organisers of the plane’s around-the-world journey said in Madrid that the aircraft took off at 6, 30 am (0430 GMT) from Seville International Airport, and expected to land in Cairo International Airport on July 13.

The flight team said that the flight, the second to last in the world circumnavigation, is expected to take 50 hours and 30 minutes.

They said Andre Borschberg would be at the controls for the last time on the around-the-world journey, which began more than a year ago.

The organisers noted that Borschberg and fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard have taken turns flying the solar-powered plane on the around-the-world journey to draw attention to the possibilities of using renewable energy sources for a wide variety of things.

The Solar Impulse 2 made history June 23 by becoming the first solar-powered aircraft to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The flight from New York took 70 hours, nearly 20 hours less than originally estimated.

The carbon fiber plane has a wingspan of 72 meters.

The journey, which included many stops around the world, began in March 2015 in Abu Dhabi.

[Reuters]

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