New Delhi: Solar Impulse-2 (SI-2), the world's only solar-powered aircraft, successfully landed in Myanmar on Thursday evening after it took off from the holy city of Varanasi, India.
As part of its global trip, the plane made its landing at Mandalay airport in Myanmar at 13:21pm UTC, after a flight of 13 hours and 29 minutes.
.@bertrandpiccard successfully landed in #Myanmar at 13:21PM UTC! Congratulations, YEEHA! #Flight4 accomplished! pic.twitter.com/U16WrLO70h
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 19, 2015
Dozens of trees had to be cleared ahead of the plane's arrival at the Mandalay International Airport for its giant mobile hangar and exhibition tent, said Taik Aung, the country's director of air navigation and safety division.
Towering shrubs along the runway also needed to be trimmed to accommodate the plane's 72-meter wing span, said Corinne Henchoz Pignani, of the Swiss Embassy in Yangon.
On Thursday morning, the aircraft, flown by co-pilot as well as project President Bertrand Piccard, took off from Varanasi airport at around 5:22 am where it headed towards its fourth leg, Mandalay.
Upon landing at Mandalay airport, Bertrand Piccard was welcomed by a huge crowd, including his wife Michèle and one of his daughters, Estelle. Watch the live video posted by Solar Impulse on their Twitter page below!
.@bertrandpiccard welcomed by a huge crowd, his wife Michèle and one of his daughters, Estelle! https://t.co/JqnNG4ogfg
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 19, 2015
Piccard said on Twitter that it was pleasing to have his wife and daughter by his side at the landing in Mandalay.
It was fabulous to have my wife Michèle and my daughter Estelle by my side at the landing in #Mandalay pic.twitter.com/Yl4owOSiQ3
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) March 19, 2015
Solar Impulse 2, which took off from Ahmedabad earlier Wednesday, landed in Varanasi at around 8:40 pm the same day in over 13 hours of its flight. The aircraft made a night stop in Varanasi for nearly 8 hours.
The SI-2 crew had tweeted the live video of Solar Impulse's take-off from Varanasi on their official Twitter page.
Video courtesy: Solar Impulse on YouTube
The aircraft, which had a schedule of four-day stopover in Gujarat, was delayed on account of the inclement weather conditions due to western disturbances.
The SI-2 took off from Muscat on March 9 and flew over Pakistan before it landed in Gujarat last week.
Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are taking turns flying the aircraft, which is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings that recharge the plane's batteries.
From Mandalay, the SI-2 is scheduled to reach Chongqing and Nanjing in China and thereafter to USA.
(With Agency Inputs)
