The world’s only ‘no-fuel’ solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 took off for Myanmar on Thursday from Varanasi after overnight stopover, ending its weeklong journey in India as part of the round-the-world trip.
The aircraft took off at 5.22 a.m. from Varanasi airport and is being flown by co-pilot as well as project president Bertrand Piccard.
The Solar Impulse 2 is currently flying the fourth leg.
The aircraft made a night stop in Varanasi for nearly 8 hours.
The CEO and pilot of Solar Impulse, Andre Borschberg, had flown the solar-powered aircraft to Varanasi from Ahmedabad.
The aircraft touched down at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Babatpur on Wednesday shortly after 8:30 p.m., completing an over 13 hour-long journey from Ahmedabad, where the plane and the crew had a week’s stopover.
The aircraft maintained a minimum altitude of around 5,200 metres on its flight to Varanasi.
The plane reached Ahmedabad on March 10, 2015 and was stationed for six days there before arriving in Varanasi. The aircraft began its journey on March 9 from Abu Dhabi.
Swiss co-pilot Mr. Piccard had flown the plane from Muscat to Ahmedabad whereas Mr. Borschberg had flown the aircraft to Varanasi from Ahmedabad.
The Si2 from Mandalay in Myanmar is scheduled to reach Chongqing and Nanjing in China and thereafter to the U.S.
