A PLANE has set the record for the longest solar powered flight.
Solar Impulse, the creation of adventurer Bertrand Piccard and former fighter pilot André Borschberg, flew for a staggering 1,541km (958 miles) taking 18 hours.
Despite the fact the only fuel the plane used was the sun’s rays it only took nine times longer to cover the distance than a standard plane.
The model flew from Pheonix, Arizona to Dallas in Texas last Wednesday (May 22), in the second leg of its trans-American journey.
A spokesperson for the Eco Experts said: “We have followed this project with interest and excitement and think it is wonderful that such a pioneering journey is being made.”
Solar Impulse has a wingspan of 63.4 metres (as big as a jumbo jet’s) and is covered with 12,000 PV cells which power the batteries the plane needs to fly through the night ( when there is no sun) as well as four propellers.
The duo say they aim to showcase the capabilities of renewable energy through their project.
Eventually the adventuring pair hope to attempt a trans-oceanic flight and finally, a round-the-world journey.
