Solar Impulse 2

To​ ​the​ ​squeal​ ​of​ ​bagpipes​ ​and​ ​the​ ​beating​ ​of​ ​drums,​ ​Solar​ ​Impulse​ ​2​ ​today​ ​completed​ ​its round-the-world​ ​voyage​ ​at​ ​8:05​ ​pm​ ​EDT​ ​(July​ ​26​ ​00:05​ ​GMT) as it​ ​alighted​ ​on​ ​the​ ​tarmac​ ​of​ ​Al​ ​Bateen​ ​Executive​ ​Airport outside Abu Dhabi ​

Solar Impulse 2 is temporarily grounded in Dayton, Ohio after a minor accident involving the minor collapse of its inflatable hangar that resulted in the craft being lightly touched by the hangar fabric. The airplane will now spend several days on the ground as engineers search for damage.

Solar Impulse 2 has touched down in Dayton, Ohio, on the latest leg of its global circumnavigation flight. With André Borschberg at the controls, the single-seater solar-powered aircraft landed at Dayton International Airport after 16 hours and 34 minutes in the air.

The route planned for Solar Impulse 2 round-the-world flight has been unveiled. The first solar-powered plane capable of day and night flight, the Si2 will spend 25 days aloft spread over a period of five months as it traverses 35,000 km (22,000 mi) with stops at 12 locations around the globe.

The maiden flight of Solar Impulse 2 took place on Monday morning at Payerne aerodrome in Switzerland. The solar-powered aircraft took off at 5:36 AM CET, when the weather around the aerodrome was at its calmest, with pilot Markus Scherdel at the controls.

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg unveiled the Solar Impulse 2 on Wednesday. The result of 12 years work, the ultra-light, solar-powered airplane will attempt next year to fly around the world relying exclusively on solar power to keep it aloft for days at a time.