Solar-powered plane: Welcome to India (UPDATED)

Solar Impulse 2 is now safely in India after making its first sea crossing from Oman. This is the first attempt to fly a plane around the world. On March 16 it will fly to Myanmar, the closest the aircraft will come to Thailand.

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There is much more information on the main Solar Impulse website: http://www.solarimpulse.com  Here's another live-tracking site that is very easy to use. Just wait a few seconds for the moving map to appear:http://solarimpulse2.airlive.net/

Wednesday morning

Solar plane lands in India

AHMEDABAD (INDIA), AFP – Solar Impulse 2 landed in India late on Tuesday, completing the first major sea leg of its epic bid to become the first solar-powered plane to fly around the world.

The aircraft touched down in the western state of Gujarat at 11:25 pm local time (1755 GMT) to finish its second leg in a little less than 16 hours after taking off from the Omani capital Muscat.

Live footage on its website showed a faint line of white-and-blue lights of the plane in the pitch-black night as the Solar Impulse 2 approached Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.

Members in the control room applauded as Pilot Bertrand Piccard, who was at the controls on the 1,465 kilometre (910 mile) journey over the Arabian Sea, landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

"Congratulations to @bertrandpiccard from Mission Control... Landing 11.25pm local time," the Solar Impulse team posted on Twitter.

The Solar Impulse will be in Ahmedabad for four days during which "several events are planned on the theme of renewable energy and sustainable development", according to the Swiss embassy.

The aircraft will embark on its fourth leg to Myanmar on March 16 after making a short stop at the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India.

Tuesday evening

20: 15 Get ready to check out the websites above. Solar Impulse has been flying all day and should land in India within the next two hours. The landing will be carried live on both websites above.

Tuesday morning update

Solar plane completes 1st leg of epic round-the-world bid

Solar Impulse 2 landed Monday in Oman after the first leg of its epic bid to become the first solar-powered plane to fly around the world, in a test of its pilots' endurance.

The aircraft touched down in Muscat after nightfall, 13 hours and two minutes after taking off from Abu Dhabi.

On a pitch-black evening, only a line of white-and-blue lights appeared to approach the runway as Si2 touched down.

Pilot Andre Borschberg was at the controls on the 400-kilometre (215 nautical mile) trip.

"The adventure has started," Solar Impulse chairman Bertrand Piccard had said just after Borschberg took off in the early morning from Abu Dhabi's Al-Bateen airport on the historic journey aimed at promoting green energy.

Borschberg spoke of an "emotional" trip, telling reporters in Muscat he cruised at 6,000 metres (almost 20,000 feet) because the trip was "short".

Piccard, due to fly Tuesday's second leg to Ahmedabad in India, will fly higher, Borschberg said.

Both pilots wore traditional Omani turbans as they received an official welcome in the Gulf sultanate.

"We have to go and get a bit of sleep because tomorrow we start very very early," Piccard said, without specifying the time of departure.

Monday's story

Solar-powered plane takes off in first round-the-world attempt

Abu Dhabi, March 9, AFP – The first attempt to fly around the world in a plane using only solar power launched Monday in Abu Dhabi in a landmark journey aimed at promoting green energy.

The Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Andre Borschberg of Switzerland, took off at 7:12 am (0412 GMT) from Al-Bateen airport and headed to Muscat, the capital of Oman, where it is expected to land later Monday after the first leg of the journey.

The takeoff, which was originally scheduled for Saturday but delayed due to high winds, capped 13 years of research and testing by Borschberg and and fellow Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard.

"This project is a human project, it is a human challenge," Borschberg, co-founder and chief executive of Solar Impulse, told reporters on Sunday.

The wingspan of the one-seater plane, known as the Si2, is slightly bigger than that of a jumbo jet, but its weight is around that of a family car.

From Muscat, it will make 12 stops on an epic journey spread over five months, with a total flight time of around 25 days.

It will cross the Arabian Sea to India before heading on to Myanmar, China, Hawaii and New York.

Landings are also earmarked for the midwestern United States and either southern Europe or North Africa, depending on weather conditions.

The longest single leg will see a lone pilot fly non-stop for five days across the Pacific Ocean between Nanjing, China and Hawaii, a distance of 8,500 kilometres (5,270 miles).

Borschberg and Piccard will alternate stints flying the plane, which can hold only one person, with the aircraft able to fly on autopilot during rest breaks.

The pilots have undergone intensive training in preparation for the trip, including in yoga and self-hypnosis, allowing them to sleep for periods as short as 20 minutes but awaken feeling refreshed.

All this will happen without burning a drop of fuel.

The pilots will be linked to a control centre in Monaco where 65 weathermen, air traffic controllers and engineers will be stationed. A team of 65 support staff will travel with the two pilots.

Should a problem occur while sleeping, the ground staff can wake up the pilot.

The plane is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells built into wings that, at 72 metres (236 feet), are longer than a jumbo and approaching that of an Airbus A380 superjumbo.

Thanks to an innovative design, the lightweight carbon fibre aircraft weighs only 2.3 tonnes, about the same as a family 4X4 and less than one percent of the weight of the A380.

The Si2 is the first solar-powered aircraft able to stay aloft for several days and nights.

The propeller craft has four 17.5 horsepower electric motors with rechargeable lithium batteries.

It will travel at 50-100 kilometres per hour, with the slower speeds at night to prevent the batteries from draining too quickly.

Its progress can be monitored via live video streaming at www.solarimpulse.com.

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