Pilot: I slept for only 45 minutes in last leg

NEW DELHI: Solar Impulse 2 (SI2) completed the first round-the-world flight by a solar-powered aeroplane by touching down in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. In the last one year, pilots Betrand Piccard and André Borscberg travelled 40,000 km without one drop of fuel.

The final leg of the journey (Cairo-Abu Dhabi) was a bumpy one, with turbulence driven by hot air, leaving 58-year-old Piccard fighting with the controls. “The last leg was difficult. There was a lot of turbulence... I flew three nights and only managed 45 minutes of sleep each night. But we are extremely happy with what we have achieved,” an elated Piccard told HT.

“Our flight is over but the real work of spreading the #futureisclean message across the world begins now,” André Borschberg said .“Our aim is to re group clean tech forces to develop resource-efficient technologies ”. The duo has announced the formation of a foundation that will work towards developing clean technologies.

The SI2 is a silver-coloured-single-seat airplane that hasawingspan of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, the weight of a family car, the power of a small motorcycle, and is the largest aircraft ever built with such a low weight.

“We started dreaming about this journey in 2002-03, beginning with a feasibility study,” Piccard said. Their goal: Show the world that “talks sustainability but does nothing” that if an airplane can fly several days and nights in a row with no fuel.