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| Solar Impulse: Zero-fuel plane begins final flight | Solar Impulse: Zero-fuel plane begins final flight |
| (2 days later) | |
| The zero-fuel aeroplane, Solar Impulse, has left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on the last leg of its global tour. | The zero-fuel aeroplane, Solar Impulse, has left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on the last leg of its global tour. |
| The aircraft should take about 48 hours to reach Abu Dhabi, UAE - the place it began the circumnavigation in March 2015. | The aircraft should take about 48 hours to reach Abu Dhabi, UAE - the place it began the circumnavigation in March 2015. |
| Pilot Bertrand Piccard is at the controls one final time. | Pilot Bertrand Piccard is at the controls one final time. |
| His flight ought to be fairly straightforward, although his team has some concerns about how the heat in the Middle East may affect the plane. | His flight ought to be fairly straightforward, although his team has some concerns about how the heat in the Middle East may affect the plane. |
| Mr Piccard is likely to have to spend a lot of time at high altitude on oxygen to get above the thermals and the turbulence they induce. | Mr Piccard is likely to have to spend a lot of time at high altitude on oxygen to get above the thermals and the turbulence they induce. |
| The warmer, thinner air above the Saudi desert also means Solar Impulse's motors will have to work harder to propel the vehicle forward. | The warmer, thinner air above the Saudi desert also means Solar Impulse's motors will have to work harder to propel the vehicle forward. |
| This will require careful management of the energy reserves in the plane's lithium polymer batteries, to be sure they can sustain the aircraft through the night hours. | This will require careful management of the energy reserves in the plane's lithium polymer batteries, to be sure they can sustain the aircraft through the night hours. |
| "We thought it was going to be an easy flight because it's always good weather between Egypt and Abu Dhabi across Saudi. But actually, it's extremely difficult to find a good strategy," Mr Piccard told BBC News. | "We thought it was going to be an easy flight because it's always good weather between Egypt and Abu Dhabi across Saudi. But actually, it's extremely difficult to find a good strategy," Mr Piccard told BBC News. |
| Solar Impulse has covered more than 30,000km in its quest to become the first plane to circle the world using no fuel, just the energy from the Sun. | |
| The Cairo-Abu Dhabi flight marks the 17th and final segment in the journey, which has included crossings of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. | The Cairo-Abu Dhabi flight marks the 17th and final segment in the journey, which has included crossings of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. |
| Mr Piccard has alternated pilot duties with his friend and business partner Andre Borschberg. | Mr Piccard has alternated pilot duties with his friend and business partner Andre Borschberg. |
| The pair had hoped to complete the challenge last year but progress was not quite swift enough to get the best of the weather in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. | The pair had hoped to complete the challenge last year but progress was not quite swift enough to get the best of the weather in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. |
| And when battery damage was sustained on an epic five-day, five-night passage over the western Pacific in June/July 2015, the decision was taken to ground the effort for 10 months. | And when battery damage was sustained on an epic five-day, five-night passage over the western Pacific in June/July 2015, the decision was taken to ground the effort for 10 months. |
| For Mr Piccard, landing back in Abu Dhabi will represent the closure of a 17-year undertaking to prove that a solar plane could circumnavigate the globe. | For Mr Piccard, landing back in Abu Dhabi will represent the closure of a 17-year undertaking to prove that a solar plane could circumnavigate the globe. |
| The idea was born when he made the first, non-stop, round-the-world flight in a balloon in 1999. | The idea was born when he made the first, non-stop, round-the-world flight in a balloon in 1999. |
| His Breitling Orbiter 3 envelope only just made it, landing in the Egyptian desert with virtually no reserves left of the propane gas it had been using in burners to stay aloft. | His Breitling Orbiter 3 envelope only just made it, landing in the Egyptian desert with virtually no reserves left of the propane gas it had been using in burners to stay aloft. |
| Mr Piccard said he vowed then that "there had to be another way". | Mr Piccard said he vowed then that "there had to be another way". |
| He acknowledges that airliners are not about to swap their jet engines for photovoltaic cells, but argues solar will play a role in the future of aviation. | He acknowledges that airliners are not about to swap their jet engines for photovoltaic cells, but argues solar will play a role in the future of aviation. |
| "I make the bet that in 10 years we will have electric aeroplanes flying with 50 passengers for short- to medium-haul flights," he said. | "I make the bet that in 10 years we will have electric aeroplanes flying with 50 passengers for short- to medium-haul flights," he said. |
| "You can fly with no pollution and no noise - purely electric - and landing in urban airports, making no disturbance for the neighbours. | "You can fly with no pollution and no noise - purely electric - and landing in urban airports, making no disturbance for the neighbours. |
| "So, it will be a market for aviation and transport. And maybe sometimes people will say this all started with a crazy idea of flying around the world in a solar aeroplane, and the outcome was useful for everyone." | "So, it will be a market for aviation and transport. And maybe sometimes people will say this all started with a crazy idea of flying around the world in a solar aeroplane, and the outcome was useful for everyone." |
| Mr Piccard and Mr Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. | Mr Piccard and Mr Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. |
| Their plane is wider than a 747 jumbo jet but weighs just 2.3 tonnes, which poses some unique challenges: | Their plane is wider than a 747 jumbo jet but weighs just 2.3 tonnes, which poses some unique challenges: |
| LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute | LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute |
| LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes | LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes |
| LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes | LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes |
| LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes |
| LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes |
| LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes | LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes |
| LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes | LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes |
| LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes | LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes |
| LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) to Mountain View, California (US) - 4,523km; 2 Days 17 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) to Mountain View, California (US) - 4,523km; 2 Days 17 Hours 29 Minutes |
| LEG 10: 2 May. Mountain View, California (US) to Phoenix, Arizona (US) - 1,199km; 15 Hours 52 Minutes | LEG 10: 2 May. Mountain View, California (US) to Phoenix, Arizona (US) - 1,199km; 15 Hours 52 Minutes |
| LEG 11: 12 May. Phoenix, Arizona (US) to Tulsa, Oklahoma (US) - 1,570 km; 18 Hours 10 Minutes | LEG 11: 12 May. Phoenix, Arizona (US) to Tulsa, Oklahoma (US) - 1,570 km; 18 Hours 10 Minutes |
| LEG 12: 21 May. Tulsa, Oklahoma (US) to Dayton, Ohio (US) - 1,113 km; 16 Hours 34 Minutes | LEG 12: 21 May. Tulsa, Oklahoma (US) to Dayton, Ohio (US) - 1,113 km; 16 Hours 34 Minutes |
| LEG 13: 25 May. Dayton, Ohio (US) to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (US) - 1,044 km; 16 Hours 47 Minutes | LEG 13: 25 May. Dayton, Ohio (US) to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (US) - 1,044 km; 16 Hours 47 Minutes |
| LEG 14: 11 June. Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (US) to New York (US) - 230km; 4 Hours 41 Minutes | LEG 14: 11 June. Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (US) to New York (US) - 230km; 4 Hours 41 Minutes |
| LEG 15: 20 June. New York (US) to Seville (Spain) - 6,765km; 71 hours 8 minutes | LEG 15: 20 June. New York (US) to Seville (Spain) - 6,765km; 71 hours 8 minutes |
| LEG 16: 11 July. Seville (Spain) to Egypt (Cairo) - 3,745km; 48 Hours 50 Minutes | LEG 16: 11 July. Seville (Spain) to Egypt (Cairo) - 3,745km; 48 Hours 50 Minutes |
| LEG 17: 23 July. Egypt (Cairo) to Abu Dhabi (UAE) | LEG 17: 23 July. Egypt (Cairo) to Abu Dhabi (UAE) |