Solar-Powered Plane Completes Historic Atlantic Crossing
Solar Impulse is closing in on trip around the world.
— -- Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard landed Solar Impulse in Seville, Spain this morning, completing a three-day historic trip across the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane powered by only the sun's energy.
A smiling Piccard was greeted by his Solar Impulse partner, Andre Borschberg, as he exited the cockpit after spending 71 hours and 8 minutes inside the cockpit, cruising over the ocean at a speed of around 50 mph.
BREAKING @bertrandpiccard lands in #Seville completing, in 70h, the 1st #Atlantic solar flight #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/z8o96ynFDa
"The Atlantic is always the symbolic flight for all the means of transportation and today it becomes a symbolic flight for energy vision," Piccard told ABC News before he took off from New York City. "It is the first time an airplane flying solar -- that means with electric engines, zero emissions, zero fuel -- is attempting to cross this ocean from America to Europe, so it is extremely exciting for all of us."
The two pilots expect to complete their around-the-world journey this summer in Abu Dhabi -- where the voyage began in March 2015. They expect to have about three more flights before completing their circumnavigation of the globe.
A departure date hasn't been set yet for the next leg, which Borschberg will fly, however Solar Impulse's team expects the next destination will be Greece or Egypt.
Spectacular #selfie moment over the #AtlanticOcean. Share it if you think the #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/JwOqeFa7Qe
A departure date hasn't been set yet for the next leg, which Borschberg will fly, however Solar Impulse's team expects the next destination will be Greece or Egypt.
Spectacular #selfie moment over the #AtlanticOcean. Share it if you think the #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/JwOqeFa7Qe