Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane, has landed in Rabat, Morocco, after flying from Spain, completing the second leg of its pioneering journey.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard landed the Solar Impulse in Rabat, 19 hours after taking off from Madrid.
The plane – the size of a jumbo jet – was powered by 12,000 solar cells turning four electrical motors.
The 2,500 km-trip (1,550 miles), begun in Switzerland in May, is described as a rehearsal for a world tour in 2014 .
Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane, has landed in Rabat, Morocco, after flying from Spain, completing the second leg of its pioneering journey
Made of carbon fibre, Solar Impulse is the size of an Airbus A340 but only weighs as much as an average family car, according to its creators.
People were able to follow the aircraft’s flight progress via a virtual dashboard on Solar Impulse’s website, which showed the plane’s battery status, altitude and speed.
Bertrand Piccard was also posting live updates of his journey on Twitter (@bertrandpiccard). In one of his tweets, the former balloonist described the “great feeling” of gliding across southern European skies with solar-powered engines.
The Solar Impulse project was launched in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard and Swiss pilot Andre Boschberg who flew the first leg of the journey from Switzerland to Madrid in late May.
The aircraft made history in July 2010 when it became the first manned solar plane to complete a 26-hour nonstop flight.
The landmark flight proved that the sun’s energy was enough to keep the plane in the air, even at night.
The organizers now hope to go on a round-the-world tour with a new and improved Solar Impulse model in 2014.
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Bruce Campbell reveals his future home is a 727-200 aircraft tucked away in the woods of Oregon.
Describing the plane as a “bird that’s meant to fly”, Bruce Campbell proudly gave CNN reporters a grand tour around his unusual choice of home.
Entering and exiting through stairs lowered down from the plane, Bruce Campbell explains that he tries to keep his new home clean and tidy as he wipes his feet and clambers through the latch-operated door.
With the passenger chairs ripped out of the main cabin there is plenty of room for Bruce Campbell’s possessions – cardboard boxes waiting to be unpacked are stacked throughout the room.
Bruce Campbell reveals his future home is a 727-200 aircraft tucked away in the woods of Oregon
Clearly excited to be showing visitors around, Bruce Campbell says the prospect of living in the plane full-time “exhilarates” him.
With electricity already functioning, one of the first tasks in transforming the jumbo jet into a hospitable living space was, of course, getting a working plumbing system.
Bruce Campbell is still tinkering with it but one of the aircraft’s three toilets is already up and running.
“It’s small but I’m small”, he says, peeking into the functioning restroom.
Furthermore, he has installed a temporary shower within the main cabin of the plane.
Bruce Campbell concedes the shower doesn’t afford much privacy but points out that if you live in the middle of the woods that isn’t a pressing concern.
Describing the venture as an “experiment”, Bruce Campbell hopes that others will follow his lead: “It is a good experiment in a living environment that, I hope, will prove to be something that mankind will embrace with vigor at a later time.”
Lighting up with glee, Bruce Campbell ushers his guests into the space he describes as his “favorite playroom”: the cockpit.
And in warmer weather, the aircraft’s wings make for great decks – easily accessed through the emergency exits.
Bruce Campbell has had some visitors to his bizarre bolthole and, he says, some have fallen in love with it.
There is no radio or TV in the plane but an iPod touch provides music as Campbell potters away creating his new home.
“It’s not for everybody. But I think it is for a lot of people and it is definitely for me. I absolutely love it,” says Bruce Campbell as he concludes his tour.
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