Swiss team makes 1st test flight of prototype for round-the-world solar flight

Swiss test flight for round-the-world solar plane

PAYERNE, Switzerland — Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard’s team has taken its prototype for a round-the-world solar flight into the skies for the first time.

Piccard says the two-hour test flight will examine if the plane with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car can keep a straight trajectory.

The team plans to fly it around the world next year.

At a military airport in the Swiss countryside on Wednesday, the Solar Impulse plane lifted off after a shortly after starting on the runway. It took off at a speed of around 45 kph (28 mph).