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Title: In Switzerland, flying goes solar
Source:The Hindu
Date:3 June 2014

A sun-powered plane made a successful test flight in Switzerland on June 02 2014, clearing a vital hurdle towards its goal of a round-the-world trip next year, its pilot said. Solar Impulse 2 carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes, half an hour longer than scheduled, he said. Built from carbon fibre, the 2.3-tonne plane has four electrical motors powered by 17,248 solar cells studding its fuselage and 72-m wingspan. It is the successor of Solar Impulse, a record-breaking craft that in 2010 notched up a 26-hour flight, proving its ability to store enough power during the day to keep flying at night.




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