Finally! Some good news in air travel.
A solar-powered plane, called Solar Impulse, ended the first ever cross-country journey in New York Saturday night. Despite a broken wing, the aircraft made a smooth landing into John F. Kennedy airport. It left from San Francisco in May and stopped in many cities like Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and St. Louis.
The LA Times provides a description of the impressive machine:
The aircraft, powered by about 11,000 solar cells, soars to 30,000 feet while poking along at a top speed of 45 mph. Most of the 11,000 solar cells are on the super-long wings that seem to stretch as far as a jumbo jet’s. It weighs about the size of a small car and soars with what is essentially the power of a small motorized scooter.
The pilot, Andre Borschberg, said that what makes this plane so special is its energy efficiency. According to its creators, Solar Impulse is “sexy” and “adventurous.”
I don’t know about sexy, but this is definitely a major step forward for green travel.
Source: LATimes
