Solar plane lands in India on world record attempt

Show Caption Hide Caption Raw: Solar Plane Begins Round-the-World Trip A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi just after daybreak Monday in a historic first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fossil fuel. (March 9)

A solar-powered aircraft arrived safely in India late Tuesday on the second leg of its attempted record-setting flight around the world.

The Solar Impulse 2 craft landed at Ahmadabad airport in India's Gujarat state 16 hours after departing from Muscat, Oman, 910 miles away.

The plane, powered solely by solar energy, was to remain at the airport before continuing on to Varanasi in northern India on Saturday.

Bertrand Piccard, one of two Swiss pilots on board, was at the controls for the flight leg ending in Ahmadabad. He and Andre Borschberg were taking turns piloting the craft during the 21,700-mile journey.

The aircraft flies at about 28 mph, propelled by energy from batteries recharged by more than 17,000 solar cells. The flight is attempting to be the first to go around the world using only power from the sun in a demonstration of the technology that can reduce the use of fossil fuels.

On Monday, the unpressurized, single-seater plane completed a 13-hour flight from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The plane has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 but the weight of a family car.

The journey is to include stops in China, Hawaii, New York and southern Europe.

Weather permitting, the adventure is scheduled to last until July, and coverage of the trip is being streamed live on the solarimpulse.com website.