Solar Impulse 2 took off from Seville in Spain en route to Cairo this morning for what is expected to be pilot Andre Borschberg’s final flight as part of the first solar-powered circumnavigation of the Earth.
Taking off at 8am, the flight path will take the Swiss pilot across the Mediterranean, crossing more international airspaces than any other leg of the trip, including Tunisia, Algeria, Malta, Italy, Greece, and finally landing in Egypt.
During its flight, the plane will be photographed flying over the Masdar-owned Gemasolar plant Solar Impulse in Seville. Masdar is sponsor.
“An oil-producing country and they created Masdar to diversify their economy and discover renewable energy that is amazing, this is why we choose Abu Dhabi as our host country," said Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse’s second pilot and co-founder.
Covering 4,000km, the flight is expected to take 50 hours, depending on weather, before landing in Cairo, where Piccard said he came up with the idea for Solar Impulse 17 years ago.
The flight to Cairo should be the penultimate leg before the solar-powered plane returns to Abu Dhabi where it began its round-the-world journey in early in 2015. (The National)
PHOTO: Solar Impulse 2 is moved onto the tarmac at Sevilla airport before takeoff to Cairo for the penultimate stage of its world tour.
CREDIT: Cristina Quicler / AFP.