Primeur: Zonnevliegtuig begint reis rond de wereld

Zonnevliegtuig Solar Impulse II begint zijn rondreis om te wereld. Foto EPA Foto: The Solar Impulse Two plane takes off for a trip around the world, from Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 09 March 2015. Solar Impulse 2, is the only solar single-seater airplane able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel. An attempt at the first circumnavigation of the earth in a solar-powered airplane began in Abu Dhabi with Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg at the controls, the team said. Borschberg will take turns with fellow Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard to fly the Solar Impulse 2 in a trip that will take them around the world in a dozen legs until early August. Their aircraft weighs only as much as a large car, but the wings span as wide as a large passenger jet, and are covered with solar panels that power four propellers. Borschberg and Piccard have said they would use self-hypnosis and yoga to endure the long solo flights and the extreme changes in temperature. The trip will take the Solar Impulse 2 to Oman, India, Myanmar and China. The plane will then cross the Pacific to Hawaii and on to the US mainland. Following a flight across the Atlanic and over the Mediterranean region, the pilots are planning to return to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.