Solar Impulse plane arrives in China after 20h30 flight

The Solar Impulse 2 plane landed in China at dawn on Tuesday, completing the fifth leg of the first round-the-world launch of a solar-powered plane. With pilot Bertrand Piccard in command, the one-seater plane landed at Chongqing Airport at 1:35 am Tuesday (2:35 pm GMT) after a 20-hour flight from Myanmar.

Originally, Solar Impulse was supposed to just make a short stop in this city and continue the flight to Nanjing - about 270 km from Shanghai - but the stop was prolonged due to bad weather. Therefore, the pilot must wait until the weather improves to resume the journey.

Piccard, one of the two Swiss Solar Impulse 2 riders, had to face extreme cold, with temperatures below 20 degrees in the cockpit, as well as the high peaks of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China. He also flew over an isolated area of ​​the region on the Myanmar-China border, where violent fighting is raging between Chinese Kokang ethnic rebels and the Burmese army.

The SI2, which left Abu Dhabi on March 9, intends to travel 35, 000 kilometers to the solar-powered total. This round-the-world trip should take five months, of which 25 days are effective flights, before returning to the departure location in late June or early July.

Expected to be completed in 12 stages, the round the world round is the result of 12 years of research by André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard who, in addition to the scientific side, try to convey a political message.

Shanghai, China

Via InAbstract