Originally published on 1Sun4All.
Solar Impulse says the 4th stopover in the round-the-world attempt will be in Myanmar, Mandalay, where Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) will be grounded for three days. Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar and the last royal capital of Burma, will give the team warm, dry days with an abundance of sunshine to charge the solar cells on Si2’s wings.
We can watch Si2 inflight for the duration of the journey to Mandalay in the video below.
Bertrand Piccard, co-founder and pilot of Solar Impulse, is flying the silver airplane for around 15 hours in this 4th leg of the RTW mission.
Myanmar is the only scheduled stop in Southeast Asia. The Government of Myanmar, together with the Embassy of Switzerland in Myanmar and Solar Impulse, is making the visit to Myanmar possible, with support from local partner First Myanmar Investment Co. (FMI) and international partners Schindler and ABB.
Si2’s visit is a significant milestone marking Myanmar’s arrival to the international stage and will raise awareness on the pressing need for sustainable and innovative energy solutions. During the plane’s stop in Mandalay, approximately 1,000 students from the surrounding universities will attend educational learning sessions, meeting with the pilots and gaining knowledge around renewable energies.
Bertrand Piccard said on Twitter:
Mission mode on: now is time to focus for the flight ahead pic.twitter.com/OQv5FgNCA6
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) March 18, 2015
Bertrand Piccard added:
Ready to fly above one the most beautiful landscapes in the world pic.twitter.com/evW7lkhMB5
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) March 18, 2015
And just an hour ago, he tweeted:
Currently flying on a jet stream at 93 knots above the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh and live on http://t.co/nl0NXnzuac pic.twitter.com/FV546VkPRi
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) March 19, 2015
“The authorities and our partners in Myanmar are aware of the importance of clean technologies. I still remember flying in the Breitling Orbiter 2 over Myanmar. It was gorgeous to fly in a silent way over so many temples calling for inner peace and wisdom,” remembered Bertrand Piccard.
André Borschberg, also co-founder and pilot of Solar Impulse, added, “I am looking forward to meeting students in Mandalay, organized by FMI, as Solar Impulse is also about working together to inspire the current and future generations of the world.”
Solar Impulse tweeted this photo yesterday with this note: “the Sleepy #solarTEAM under #Si2‘s wings on the #Varanasi runway!”
Video Credit: SOLAR IMPULSE | Photo Credits: Solar Impulse 2 team resting on the tarmac in Varanasi, India and 1ST LEG: Landing Abu Dhabi-Oman, rezo.ch via Solar Impulse
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