Solar Impulse 2 set to resume round-the-world flight

Solar Impulse 2 is set to resume its attempt to circumnavigate the world with zero fuel on Thursday evening, with a set flight time for 7pm UAE time.

Mission crew have been searching for an ideal time for the plane to proceed on the next leg of its journey from Hawaii to the western coast of the US.

Typically windy conditions in Hawaii result in limited opportunities to create a suitable window for take-off, a crew official said.

Strong tailwinds will help the plane and speed up the journey, which is expected to take about three days. The plane will be flown by Swiss co-pilot and co-founder Bertrand Piccard.

Solar Impulse 2 has been grounded for nine months in Hawaii after sustaining critical damage to its batteries during the previous leg of its journey, during which co-pilot Andre Borschberg completed a historic five-day flight from Nagoya in Japan over a distance of 7,200 kilometres.

The Masdar-sponsored project took off from Abu Dhabi in March last year.

Details can be found here.

esamoglou@thenational.ae

2019 ASIA CUP POTS

Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia

Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand

Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam

Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Solar Impulse 2 set to resume round-the-world flight

Solar Impulse 2 is set to resume its round-the-world flight attempt for the next leg of its journey, from Hawaii to the West Coast in the US.

2019 ASIA CUP POTS

Classification of skills

The burning issue