Annmarie Fertoli, Associate Producer, WNYC News
Annmarie Fertoli is an Associate Producer at WNYC, working with the afternoon news team to produce All Things Considered.
Swiss Pilot Lands Solar-Powered Plane
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Solar Impulse's Chief Executive Officer and pilot Andre Borschberg celebrates after landing 'Solar Impulse' experimental solar-powered aircraft in a successfully first round-the-clock flight attempt.
(DOMINIC FAVRE/AFP/Getty Images/Getty)
A solar-powered plane successfully touched down at a Swiss airport this morning, following a 26-hour flight.
Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg landed the Solar Impulse at the Payerne airfield at 9 a.m., according to the Associated Press. Members of the project team said the flight was even better than they expected, boding well for their ultimate goal of circumnavigating the globe in a solar-powered plane by 2013, according to the AP.
The Solar Impulse, or HB-SIA, has a wingspan of 207 feet and includes 12,000 solar cells, which collect and store solar energy during the day for use overnight, according to the project website.
The BBC reports that the flight made history Thursday - it's both the longest and highest flight successfully completed by a solar-powered plane. During its first 26-hour flight, the plane reached a maximum height of 28,543 feet, according to the BBC.
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