After touching down in Spain on Thursday, the team behind Solar Impulse 2 moved one step closer to their goal of realising the first round-the-world voyage by an aircraft without fossil fuel.
ABU DHABI // After 71 hours inside a 3.8-cubic-metre cockpit as Solar Impulse 2 crossed the Atlantic in record-breaking fashion, pilot Bertrand Piccard touched down in Spain to take the fuel-free plane a step closer to completing its round-the-world mission.
SI2 is now two flights away from returning to Abu Dhabi, where it set off in March last year, after completing what is the first crossing of the Atlantic by an aircraft without fuel.
The solar-powered plane landed in Seville on Thursday morning and will set off again in the coming weeks as it attempts to circumnavigate the globe without the use of fossil fuel – something that has never been done before.
The plane began its Atlantic crossing in New York on Monday, completing the 6,765-kilometre flight in 71 hours and eight minutes – just short of three full days of flying for Mr Piccard.
Originally expected to take 90 hours, the flight time was educed by more than 20 per cent after receiving some help from favourable winds, a Solar Impulse 2 official said.
“It’s so fantastic,” Mr Piccard said from the cockpit as the plane sat on the tarmac. “I’m back in Europe.”
He later tweeted: “We want to represent the new world, the world of #cleantechs. Because the #futureisclean & it starts now.”
Conditions at Seville airport were described as perfect, setting up a picturesque scene for the arrival of the aircraft, which landed just as the Sun began rising over the southern Spanish city.
Before landing, Mr Piccard was greeted with a fly-past by the Spanish aerobatic team, Patrulla Aguila, which translates to Eagle Patrol, where they painted the sky with the colours of the Spanish flag.
“It’s the first time I have taken in an air show from Solar Impulse,” said Mr Piccard from the cockpit.
The plane encountered no technical issues during the crossing, its mission director said.
“The end of the crossing of the #Atlantic is a very important moment,” tweeted fellow Solar Impulse 2 pilot Andre Borschberg from mission control in Monaco.
Mr Borschberg himself made a historic crossing last year, of the Pacific Ocean, breaking the previous record for the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history. He flew for 117 hours and 52 minutes, covering 8,924km. Together, both pilots have been taking turns manning the controls of the plane.
Solar Impulse 2 spokeswoman Julie Conti said officials would now begin searching for a suitable flight window for the next stage of its 35,400km circumnavigation, which is likely to happen within the next few weeks. But the next destination has yet to be decided.
She said that they were looking at the Greek island of Crete or Egypt as potential stopover points before the plane takes off again for Abu Dhabi.
“We still don’t know exactly which one. With Solar Impulse it always depends on the weather and that’s really what drives the plan,” she said.
“As soon as we can catch a good weather window we will leave to make it as short as possible to arrive in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s really difficult to say when we will be able to fly and when we will be able to land.”
Solar Impulse 2 is now looking at a possibility of arriving back in Abu Dhabi by the end of next month, Ms Conti said.
“It’s a big step for renewable energy and the message we want to spread that it can rule the world.”
esamoglou@thenational.ae
