Solar Impluse-2 (Si2), the world's first solar-propelled airplane that is on its journey around the world without a drop of fossil fuel, will make a landing on Indian soil on Tuesday. Seen as a landmark in the world aviation history, the single-seater plane took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday morning and will make a stopover at Muscat, Oman before landing at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel International Airport on Tuesday.
Amid much excitement for the new plane in the air, Ahmedabad airport is being readied to give a heroic welcome to the pilot, Bertrand Piccard, who is also the initiator and chairman of Solar Impulse project. Co-pilot and founder & CEO of the project, André Borschberg began the historic journey with zero fuel on Monday at 7.12 am local time in Abu Dhabi, an official statement said.
"Piccard will take the reins of the plane in Oman and continue onward to Ahmedabad (India). Co-pilots Piccard and Borschberg will take turns flying the single-seater experimental solar aircraft which is able to fly with perpetual endurance," the statement said.
Seen as a cleantech revolution, the zero-fuel plane is hosted in India by Aditya Birla Group. "Solar Impulse-2, with Mission Leg host partners including Solvay, Schindler, ABB, and with the support of the Gujarat government, GERMI and GEDA, and the Embassy of Switzerland in India is making a four day stop at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport," a statement said. A special hangar has been erected to house the Swiss aircraft at the Ahmedabad airport.
During the stop overs, the Solar Impulse team and its partners will organise public events for governments, schools and universities thereby spreading message of clean energy.
The aircraft - capable to travel day and night, will cover 35,000 kilometres around the world in 25 days during a 5-month period, and make 12 scheduled stops. Si2 will pass over the Arabian Sea, India, Myanmar, China and the Pacific Ocean.
The Mission Control Center (MCC) for Si2 has been set up in Monaco.
After the original Solar Impulse Si-1 prototype, engineers designed and constructed a new single-seater aircraft made of carbon fibre, weighing 2300 kg almost equivalent of a car. Si2 has a 72-meter wingspan (larger than that of the Boeing 747) with 17,248 solar cells built into it. The solar cells recharge four lithium polymer batteries totalling 633 kg each, which allow the aircraft to fly at night and therefore have virtually unlimited autonomy.