Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Blog #5: Solar-powered plane completes first leg of round-the-world flight

The Solar Impulse 2 is a phenomenal aircraft that is powered by solar rays and it is one of the first to do so. On March 9th 2015, the plane took off from Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen airport in a quest to fly around the world. The testers of the plane put the plane to the test last summer in June in order to see if the plane can really fly. This year Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are the brave pilots that plan to set the record of longest flight in aviation history. The pilots are attempting to set the record with 120 straight hours during their flight. Overall the trip is expected to take 5 or 6 months. The aircraft is ready for the nightlife because of the solar storage that the plane stores during the day. The Solar Impulse 2 can hold enough energy from the sun rays to keep the plane moving at night. Life on the plane won't be bad because of the 3.8 m3 cockpit on the plane. The cockpit will be where all the necessities for the pilots are stored. The Solar Impulse 2 is the upgraded version of the prototype the Solar Impulse 1 which was the first to make an international flight using just solar rays. The first leg of the adventure lasted until the pilots arrived in Omen. The two pilots are so excited about the plane and the trip that they have been updating their fans via Twitter with tweets and pictures. Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg have planned who flies the plane during certain stretches. Piccard has chose to knock out the five day, five night journey across the Pacific and Borschberg flying across the Atlantic. Borschberg also added in that Piccard should fly the final leg because it was a vision he created 15 years ago.

I'm excited to hear about this aviation because I love the advancement of technology. The invention of solar powered planes is great for the future because it is cheaper and possibly more efficient. We are probably plenty of years away from commercial airplanes that fly from our airports but the idea will eventually come about. I believe this idea of solar powered airplanes will become popular and spread worldwide.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/08/middleeast/solar-impulse-flight/index.html

Shane Otchere
March 17th, 2015
8:01 PM

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