The Solar Impulse's HB-SIA solar-powered aircraft has been delivered disassembled to Moffett field, California, and its team has started the process of reassembling it in preparation for a four-stop flight across America. The aircraft's wing spans more than 205 feet and is covered with nearly 12,000 photovoltaic cells that run four 10-horsepower electric motors. The cells also charge the aircraft's lithium-polymer battery packs. In flight, the 3,527-pound plane cruises at less than 50 mph. Test flights will be made prior to the transcontinental journey. Stops, other than Washington, D.C., and New York, have not been precisely identified. The program last summer suffered setbacks.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/solar-impulse-prepares-for-u-s-flight