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Li+Qing

Solar-powered aircraft global trial flight

A solar-powered aircraft called Solar Impulse 2 （referred to as SI-2）， began its unusual global trial flights from the end of February 2015. SI-2 departed from Abu Dhabi， the capital of United Arab Emirates， and plans to return in early August. The aircraft will make a stopover in Muscat of Oman， Ahmedabad and Varanasi of India， Mandalay of Myanmar， and Chongqing and Nanjing of China； after flying over the Pacific Ocean through Hawaii， it will pass through the continental United States， and make a stopover in Phoenix and John F. Kennedy airport in New York City respectively. Then according to weather conditions， SI-2 will choose a Midwestern city for a short break； following that， it will across the Atlantic and return to Abu Dhabi after the last stay in southern Europe or North Africa.

SI-2 is the world's first permanent endurance aircraft which utilizes the solar power day and night， without a drop of fuel. It possesses wings with a total length of 72m， and its surface is loaded with more than 17，000 solar panels. These special energy storages provide power to battery so it can fly at night when four motors continue to work normally. The major part of aircraft body is composed of plastic and lightweight reinforced glass. The aircraft dismantled was first sent to Abu Dhabi and re-assembled into a machine there.

The space of aircraft cabin is so small， which can only accommodate one pilot， so the two pilots have to fly a plane of rotation at different locations.

Each pilot must stay on the plane for five days and five nights， with only two hours sleep each day. These are not small challenges pilots confront. Bertrand Piccard， one of the sponsors of this trial flight is just trying to convey that renewable energy and clean energy technologies are also applicable in other fields.