The solar-powered Solar Impulse aircraft is set to return home to Switzerland after flying more than 5,700 kilometres during the past two months. The team's accomplishments, including the first solar-powered flight to Africa, comes as the next Solar Impulse airplane suffered a setback in its plans for an around-the-world flight. While the first aircraft, known as HB-SIA was flying across Europe earlier this month, the wing spar for the second aircraft, HB-SIB, literally cracked under pressure during testing.
HB-SIA departed Switzerland back on May 24 on a trip that included eight legs, landing in four countries and two continents. The Solar Impulse team was invited by the Kingdom of Morocco and the country's Agency for Solar Energy as a demonstration of the Solar Impulse aircraft. The airplane was met with high winds on a few occasions while visiting north Africa, causing a few delays during the flight for the rather large but lightweight aircraft.
By: Jason Paur, Edited by: Ian Steadman
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via Wired.co.uk
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/25/solar-impulse
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