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| Solar Impulse completes historic round-the-world trip | Solar Impulse completes historic round-the-world trip |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The first round-the-world solar powered flight has been completed, after the Solar Impulse aircraft touched down in Abu Dhabi. | The first round-the-world solar powered flight has been completed, after the Solar Impulse aircraft touched down in Abu Dhabi. |
| Bertrand Piccard piloted the plane for a final time, steering it safely from the Egyptian capital Cairo to the UAE. | Bertrand Piccard piloted the plane for a final time, steering it safely from the Egyptian capital Cairo to the UAE. |
| He has been taking turns at the controls with Swiss compatriot Andre Borschberg, with the mission aiming to promote renewable energy. | He has been taking turns at the controls with Swiss compatriot Andre Borschberg, with the mission aiming to promote renewable energy. |
| It brings to an end a voyage that began in Abu Dhabi on 9 March last year. | It brings to an end a voyage that began in Abu Dhabi on 9 March last year. |
| "The future is clean. The future is you. The future is now. Let's take it further,'' Mr Piccard said, arriving into Abu Dhabi to cheers and applause. | "The future is clean. The future is you. The future is now. Let's take it further,'' Mr Piccard said, arriving into Abu Dhabi to cheers and applause. |
| The 17-stage journey covered some 42,000km, taking in four continents, three seas and two oceans. | |
| The longest leg, an 8,924km (5,545-mile) flight from Nagoya in Japan to Hawaii, US, lasted nearly 118 hours and saw Mr Borschberg break the absolute world record for longest (time duration) uninterrupted solo flight. | |
| It was just one of 19 official aviation records set during the global adventure. | |
| 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. |
| 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 that 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. | |
| Solar Impulse is no heavier than a car, but has the wingspan of a Boeing 747. It is powered by 17,000 solar cells. | Solar Impulse is no heavier than a car, but has the wingspan of a Boeing 747. It is powered by 17,000 solar cells. |
| Its experimental design presents a number of technical difficulties, with the airplane being very sensitive to weather conditions. | |
| Indeed, the passage from Cairo was very bumpy for Mr Piccard as he battled severe turbulence above the hot Saudi desert. | Indeed, the passage from Cairo was very bumpy for Mr Piccard as he battled severe turbulence above the hot Saudi desert. |
| The cockpit is about the size of a public telephone box, with the pilots having to wear oxygen tanks to breathe at high altitude and permitted to only sleep for 20 minutes at a time. | The cockpit is about the size of a public telephone box, with the pilots having to wear oxygen tanks to breathe at high altitude and permitted to only sleep for 20 minutes at a time. |
| 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; 2 Days 23 Hours 8 minutes | LEG 15: 20 June. New York (US) to Seville (Spain) - 6,765km; 2 Days 23 Hours 8 minutes |
| LEG 16: 11 July. Seville (Spain) to Egypt (Cairo) - 3,745km; 2 Days 50 Minutes | LEG 16: 11 July. Seville (Spain) to Egypt (Cairo) - 3,745km; 2 Days 50 Minutes |
| LEG 17: 23 July. Egypt (Cairo) to Abu Dhabi (UAE) - 2,694 km; 2 Days 47 Minutes | LEG 17: 23 July. Egypt (Cairo) to Abu Dhabi (UAE) - 2,694 km; 2 Days 47 Minutes |