Solar-powered plane lands in Spain, leaves for Cairo as part of round-the-world trip

An experimental solar-powered airplane has left Spain for Egypt in the penultimate leg of its globe-circling voyage. Organizers said the Solar Impulse 2 flew out of Seville airport Monday and was heading for Cairo.

The flight, piloted by Swiss man Andre Borschberg, is expected to last 50 hours and 30 minutes.The around-the-world voyage began in March 2015 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and is due to finish there too.

The plane arrived in Seville on June 23 after an unprecedented three-day flight across the Atlantic.

The wings of Solar Impulse 2, which stretch wider than those of a Boeing 747, are equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power propellers and charge batteries. The plane runs on stored energy at night.

source:  The Associated Press.