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                 Solar-Powered Plane on First Flight Across US

   Two Swiss pilots took off from California Friday on what is planned as
   the first cross-country flight of a completely solar-powered plane.
   The Solar Impulse has the wingspan of a 747 passenger jet, but only
   weighs as much as a mid-size car. The plane`s batteries collect and
   store power from the sun, so the plane can fly day and night.
   But Solar Impulse can only travel at about 69 kilometers per hour and
   seats just one pilot, calling for frequent rest stops.
   Pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg plan to make long
   stopovers in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, and Washington before a final
   landing in New York next month.
   Piccard and Borschberg compare their initial flight to those of
   aviation pioneers the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh. They admit
   that the commercial use of solar powered planes is still far into the
   future, but hope the project can help lead to more energy efficient
   aviation.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/solarpowered-plane-on-first-flight-ac
   ross-us/1654310.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/solarpowered-plane-on-first-flight-across-us/1654310.html