SIMFEROPOL, July 7. /TASS/. Russian voyager and survivalist Fyodor Konyukhov plans to perform the first-ever flight onboard a solar-powered plane from Moscow to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East in the first half of September, his son Oskar told TASS on Sunday.

On July 5-6, Fyodor Konyukhov made the first-ever flight onboard a solar-powered plane from the Moscow region to Crimea.

"It will be the first flight by a solar-powered plane across entire Russia along the following route: Moscow-Chelyabinsk-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Yakutia-Kamchatka. It will be in the first half of September, not later because there might be snowing in Kamchatka," Oskar said, adding that the flight is expected to take seven days but the organizers add three more days in case of bad weather.

Konyukhov’s team are currently working on the route of the would-be trans-Russian flight, selecting airfield capable of receiving and aircraft with a 25-meter wingspan.

"It is going to be a very picturesque flight, with magnificent views. We will equip the plane with cameras to get a bird’s eye view of our country. We will make a documentary after the flight," said Oskar Konyukhov.

He noted that the flight to Crimea had been a test of the plane. "It was a very good trial both for the pilots and for all the equipment. Everything was all right," he added.

On Monday, Konyukhov plans to fly to Kislovodsk and then back to Moscow from there.

Preparations for round-the-world flight

Konyukhov’s flight to Crimea was part of preparations for his solo nonstop solar-powered flight around the world. He flew a unique aerial vehicle dubbed Flying Laboratory, designed specifically to test technological solutions, which will be used when constructing a plane for the solar-powered flight around the world. The Flying Laboratory plane is equipped with flexible solar panels produced in Russia and energy accumulating systems. Its wingspan is 25 meters, but the weight is only 900 kilograms.

The flight aims to test the solar panels at different altitudes, sun angles and latitudes (from 56 degrees (Moscow Region) to 45 degrees (Yevpatoriya).

Fyodor Konyukhov plans to set out on a solo nonstop solar-powered flight around the world in 2021. His Albatros project is funded by Russian ROTEK technological company.

The world aviation history knows only one successful round-the-world flight powered by solar energy: the Swiss Solar Impulse 2 flew around the world in 500 days, with 19 stopovers along the route. The Russian Albatros project team is working on the plane that can fly around the world without stops and charges in seven days.

Fyodor Konyukhov’s expeditions

Konyukhov has completed five globetrotting missions, crossing the Atlantic 17 times and becoming the first Russian who climbed seven highest summits in six parts of the world, and also traveled to the North and South Poles. In 2007, Konyukhov circled the Southern Hemisphere in a sailboat dubbed the ‘Scarlet Sails’ through the waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The 102-day voyage did not involve any port calls.

In 2019, he completed solo sailing on a rowing boat across the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, which became the first part of his round-the-world expedition.