The Globe Circling Electric Powered Airplane Appears To Be Seeking A Final Display Location

According to a report in the Dayton Dailey News, officials involved with the epic solar powered around the world flight are looking for a final location to place the Solar Impulse 2 on display. It appears they think the home of the Wright Brothers would be an ideal location.

The Solar Impulse 2 is the electric aircraft that was powered by thousands of solar cells which allowed it to circle the globe without the addition of external fuel. The purpose of the mission was to bring the issue of renewable energy to the forefront, and the aircraft was the tool used to demonstrate renewable energy in action. The flight around the world was flown by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg.

According to the article, the National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) was approached with the idea of adding the Solar Impulse 2 as a display to their primary mission which is to recognize the legacy of the Wright Brothers. The article quoted Timothy Gaffney, an NAHA spokesman as saying, “We think it’s a real honor that the Solar Impulse team considers Dayton to be a fitting place to display the Solar Impulse 2 and their recognition of us as the birthplace of aviation.”

The primary project that NAHA is engaged in at this time is the restoration of the original Wright Airplane Factory which is located in Dayton. It was reported that NAHA Executive Director Tony Sculimbrene said, “It would be cool to have it here but right now there’s only so much NAHA can do, and our focus right now is the factory.” Keeping in mind that the wingspan of the Solar Impulse 2 is 236 feet, Sculimbrene added, “One of the big problems with Solar Impulse 2 is it’s a big airplane. It’s not going to fit in a small building.”

The Solar Impulse 2 actually visited Dayton earlier this year after completing a 17 hour flight from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.solarimpulse.com/adventure