Borschberg told to the media: “I am confident we have a very special aeroplane, and it will have to be to get us across the big oceans.” This plane has a wingspan of 72 m, which is wider than a 747 jumbo jet and it weighs only 2.3 tones. It was equipped with 17,248 solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. The cockpit measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume , like a public telephone box, but includes a chair, bed, and even a toilet. Piccard and Borschberg will be permitted only catnaps of up to 20 mins. Borschberg will use yoga to try to stay fresh. Piccard is using self-hypnosis techniques. Solar Impulse 2 can reach speeds of nearly 100 mph, but the plan is to limit speed to about 60 mph. A group of engineers will follow the plane around the globe with a mobile hangar to house the plane when it is not in the air.
The plane is expected to reach its destination – Muscat, Oman – after about 10 hours of flight, in the first etape. After Oman, the plane will head to India, where it will make two stops, then to China and Myanmar before heading across the Pacific and stopping in Hawaii. After it will fly to Phoenix, Arizona, and New York’s biggest airport, John F. Kennedy International. The path across the Atlantic will depend on the weather and could include a stop in southern Europe or Morocco before ending in Abu Dhabi in late July or even August.
