The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse has completed the first leg of its planned flight from Switzerland to Morocco without using a drop of fuel.
According to the Solar Impulse Web site, Borschberg, made his way out of the cockpit, "smiley and certainly happy to stretch his legs."
"The flight went very well and thanks to the team of meteorologists, everything went according to the plan: it was extraordinary," he said. "It was incredible to fly alongside the barrier of clouds during most of the flight and not need to hesitate to fly above them. This confirms our confidence in the capacity of solar energy even further."
The plane's wingspan measures more than 200 feet, which boosts its aerodynamic efficiency. That long wingspan also houses the more than 12,000 solar panels that soak up the sunlight required to power the Solar Impulse during the day and charge its lithium polymer batteries to keep it aloft at night.
The current trip is intended as a rehearsal in the run-up to the plane's round-the-world flight planned for 2014.
The flight duration for the first leg was 17 hours, 3 minutes, and 50 seconds. The average ground speed was 89 km/h or 55.3 mph.
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