My dear readers, this is not fiction or a comic strip, it is reality.

Two swiss Adventurers plan this historic around the world trip on a solar aircraft that is capable of night flying also. Andre Borschberg and Dr Bertrand Piccard flew the world?s first solar plane, Solar Impulse 1, in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Now, they planned a trip commencing from the UAE in March 2015 over the Arabian Sea, India, Burma, China, the Pacific Ocean, the US, the Atlantic Ocean and Southern Europe or North Africa before closing the loop by returning to the departure point The solar aircraft aims to raise awareness about the need to adopt renewable energy to solve many of the world?s problems, including climate change.

Dr. Piccard remarked from Payerne in Switzerland ?I come quite often to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and have participated in several World Future Energy Summits. I have always been impressed by the pioneering spirit of the UAE. I believe the UAE has understood that renewable energy not only protects the environment but also creates jobs and generates profit. The world needs to find new ways of improving the quality of human life. Clean technologies and renewable forms of energy are part of the solution?

This single-seater solar aircraft (Solar Impulse2) has a huge wingspan of 72 metres & the weight of just 2,300kg, producing an aerodynamic performance and energy efficiency greater than anything to date. There is a 3.8 m3 cockpit, every detail of which has been designed for a pilot to live there for a week. It will be manned by just one pilot for five consecutive days and nights. However, for the sake of maximum energy efficiency, the cabin is not pressurised or heated — a further endurance challenge for the pilot.

The swiss Adventurers have carried out an extensive calculations, simulations, construction and tests for past 12 years before launching Solar Impulse2 on 09-Apr-14 in Switzerland. Fuel-less aircrafts if commercially became viable will change the future of aviation industry. So much fuel is burned by aircrafts every day, if this is curtailed or minimized it will be a real service towards the conservation of environment & a sustainable Earth.

Solar Impulse1 is shown in the photo

Source: Gulf News.