The team behind Solar Impulse 2 is expected to start a historic transatlantic flight on Monday.
The flight is expected to last about 90 hours and will be the longest distance that the team behind the solar-powered, zero-emissions plane has flown this year.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard is expected to take off from New York at 2am local time (10am in the UAE), and land at Seville Airport in Spain, for the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey.
Co-pilot Andre Borschberg will monitor the flight from the Mission Control Centre in Monaco while Piccard is at the controls of the one-seater, Swiss-made aircraft.
Solar Impulse landed in New York nine days ago after a dramatic flyover of the city’s landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty. The Masdar-sponsored flight has completed a total distance of more than 29,000 kilometres, without a drop of fuel.
The team hopes to complete their journey this summer in Abu Dhabi, where the trip began in March last year. (The National)
PHOTO: Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Swiss adventurer Andre Borschberg, flies over the Statue of Libery in New York on June 11, 2016.
CREDIT: Andre Borschberg / Solar Impulse 2/ Handout via Reuters.
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