Solar plane on global trip completes latest leg

A solar-powered airplane has landed in Oklahoma after taking off from Arizona on the latest leg of its around-the-world journey.

The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 took off from Phoenix Goodyear Airport about 3 am on Thursday. It landed without incident at Tulsa International Airport around 11:15 pm, the Tulsa World reported.

It departed from northern California in the early hours of May 2 and landed at the airport southwest of Phoenix 16 hours later. Last month, it flew from Hawaii to California.

The globe-circling journey began in March 2015 from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and has made stops in Oman, Myanmar, China and Japan.

After Oklahoma, the plane is expected to make at least one more stop in the United States before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Europe or northern Africa, according to the website documenting the journey.

The newspaper reported the crew likely will have to stay in Tulsa a few days to wait out the weather.

The Solar Impulse 2's wings, which stretch wider than those of a Boeing 747, are equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power propellers and charge batteries. The plane runs on stored energy at night.

Ideal flight speed is about 45 kilometer per hour, although that can double during the day when the sun's rays are strongest.

The plane had a five-day trip from Japan to Hawaii and three-day trip from Hawaii to California's Silicon Valley.

The crew was forced to stay in Oahu, Hawaii, for nine months after the plane's battery system sustained heat damage on its trip from Japan.

Project officials say the layovers give the two Swiss pilots - Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg - a chance to swap places and engage with local communities along the way so they can explain the project, which is estimated to cost more than $100 million.

The solar project began in 2002 to highlight the importance of renewable energy and the spirit of innovation.

AP - AFP

(China Daily 05/14/2016 page9)