Giant solar-powered plane begins pioneering flight

Energy Matters0

 

Mr Piccard, 52, and Mr Borschberg, a businessman and former military pilot, aim to build a second prototype that will fly the Atlantic and then, in 2013, around the world.

That flight will be conducted with five-day hops because of the limits of endurance for human pilots.

Borschberg and Piccard, who were the two main pilots for the single seater plane, trained to stay alert with only micro-naps for up to five days at a time.

To save weight and keep the pilot active, the aircraft has no automatic pilot.

The plane takes off at just over 32 kilometers per hour  and cruises at about 56 kph, making it vulnerable to turbulence and headwinds.