AvioNews
Solar Impulse plane leaves Madrid for Rabat, in Morocco
Madrid, Spain – It should take-off tomorrow
(WAPA) – Under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI and upon invitation of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), the Solar Impulse aircraft of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg should take-off 5 June 2012 at 05:30 AM (UTC+2) from Madrid-Barajas (Spain) with final destination Rabat-Salé (Morocco). The prototype is expected to land on Tuesday June 5 from 11:00 PM (UTC+1).
The first leg of the trip, which was piloted byAndré Borschberg, will now be relayed toBertrand Piccard. The mission to complete the challenge without precedents of flying for over 2’500km without a drop of fuel. The aircraft will take-off tomorrow 5 June 2012 from the Madrid-Barajas airport (Spain) at 05:30 am (UTC+2) ascending at an altitude of 3’600 meters in direction of Seville. The HB-SIA will then cross the Gibraltar strait over the Mediterranean at an altitude of 8’500 meters around 06:00 pm (UTC +2) entering Moroccan airspace via Tangier in the direction of Rabat (Morocco). The prototype is expected to land in Rabat-Salé international airport on Tuesday June 5 sometime from 11:00 PM (UTC+1) airport avoiding the peak of international air traffic.
Although the flight has been confirmed, the Flight Director may still decide to postpone it or alter the route up to a short time before takeoff.
Track the Crossing Frontiers Flights 2012 on the Internet and via the Solar Impulse app.
During the Crossing Frontiers Flights, each flight can be tracked live on www.solarimpulse.com as well as via Twitter (for André or Bertrand), Solar Impulse’s Facebook page, Masen’s Facebook page and via the Smartphone app “Solar Impulse Inventing the Future”, available free on Appstore and Google Play. The airplane’s position, altitude and speed will be shown live and cameras fitted inside the cockpit and at “Mission Control Center”, the mission’s nerve center, will allow you to experience the adventure live thanks to the satellite communication system developed by Solar Impulse’s “National Telecom Partner”, Swisscom.
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