Solar-Powered Plane, A World’s First, Successfully Landed In Pennsylvania

Solar-Powered plane had its successful trip form Ohio to Pennsylvania.

Solar Impulse 2, the world’s first solar-powered aircraft, recently started its circumnavigation around the globe last March, after ten months of delay on its operation.

Officials from Ohio welcomed the aircraft, where it took a total of seventeen hours of travel originating from Ohio.

The aircraft was originally from Switzerland. It landed at Lehigh Valley International Airport, Allentown, at 8:45 p.m.

It is the latest stop of its circumnavigation of the world and has to take a rest for a while.

After almost seventeen hours, it flew again from Dayton International Airport, around 4 in the morning.

Solar Impulse 2 has travelled from Tulsa Int.’l Airport to Dayton, Ohio, last Saturday. The departure from Ohio was delayed due to extended time of inspection to secure the safety of the aircraft an pilots, after having some power failure.

It was also expected that the plane should make another stop in the U.S, specifically in New York, before passing through the Atlantic Ocean to northern Africa and Europe.

Among the first countries that the plane has traveled is Abu Dhabi, and have made stops in Myanmar, Japan, China, and Oman.

Its wings stretch wider than any of the airplanes we used to ride and see.

It consists of 17,000 solar cells – charging the power propellers and charge its batteries. it uses its stored energy during the night.

Flight speed is around 23 mph, depending on the rays of the sun, and how strong it is.

Solar Impulse 2 had a Japan to Hawaii 5-day trip. Pilots and other crew stayed in Oahu, Hawaii for 9 months due to the battery’s accumulated heat.

The pilots are captains Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, respectively.

They said the layovers gave them the opportunity to travel from place to place and explain to every local resident the project and its advocacy.

It’s estimated cost is more than $100 million, it began its project in 2002.