2 Indian Cities Among Landing Stops Planned By Swiss Aviators

It will cross the Atlantic Ocean to South of Europe before ending the flight at Abu Dhabi again somewhere in July next year.

"This will be the first aircraft with unlimited endurance as it can fly during day and night with an engine having efficiency as high as 97 per cent," 60-year-old Borschberg said about Solar Impulse, which has been manufactured by Solar Impulse seeking technical and other assistance from as many as 80 companies.

He said the Solar Impulse operates on solar energy during the day time while it operates at night on batteries, which are charged during the day using solar energy.

Borschberg, a graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a pilot by passion, said the wings of the aircraft, which have more than 1700 solar cells, have a span bigger than a Jumbo Jet but weighs lighter than a van.

"Two-thirds of the aircraft weight is made up of batteries."

He said while the normal aircraft need either refueling or maintenance after around 12 hours of flight, the solar- powered plane can be operated for 120 hours non-stop.

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