Solar-powered plane makes first flight in Switzerland

A solar plane has made its first flight in Switzerland ahead of an attempt to fly around the world next year.

The revolutionary plane which can fly day and night without fuel is as light as a car and is the product of 12 years of research.

“This is the first aeroplane ever which has an unlimited endurance, can fly day and night, can fly a week, can fly months. And for this it uses the sun and only the sun in fact to propel the aeroplane. That’s the only source of energy, collecting everyday enough to fly through the day, enough to store it, to fly through the night and be able to continue the following day.”

Running on solar energy to power its 17,000 solar cells, if tests are successful, the plane is set to make it round the world in five consecutive days and nights in March 2015.

Difficult words: endurance (ability to continue doing something), propel (to move something forward), consecutive (one after the other without stops).