The solar powered aeroplane, Solar Impulse 2, is currently in the midst of a 90 hour, non stop flight across the Atlantic in the latest leg of its record-breaking round the world flight.
The flight is a stunt designed to raise awareness of the viability of renewable energy, showing off the potential of solar power.
This latest leg, the 15th of its journey so far, began on Monday when the plane left JFK airport in New York at 6.30AM GMT.
Completion of this leg, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss adventurer, will mark the first ever solo, solar powered, transatlantic flight, from New York to Seville in Spain.
As he set off, Piccard tweeted: “Goodbye New York! Now looking forward to the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and reaching Europe in a few days.”
This leg is considered one of the most difficult of the entire journey, partly because of the need to predict and prepare for varying weather conditions so far in advance.
The official blog for the flight said: “If you consider a long flight like this over the Atlantic Ocean, you have to keep in mind that the weather needs to be predicted in advance (approximately 5 days).
“As we all know, weather is difficult to anticipate and therefore we will have to adapt to all challenges as they arise.”
The plane was supposed to take off a day earlier than it did but concerns about the weather forced them to delay.
Two pilots are taking turns flying alternating legs of the 22,000 mile round the world trip, which began in Abu Dhabi in early March last year. The other is Swiss entrepreneur Andre Borschberg.
Borschberg flew on the longest leg, a record breaking 4,000 mile, 118 hour flight across the Pacific, from Japan to Hawaii.
The plane itself is had a light, carbon fibre exterior, which means that while its wingspan is longer than that of a Boeing 747, it only weighs about as much as an average car.
It can fly at a maximum altitude of 8,500 metres, or 28000 feet, cruising at speeds of up to 62 mph.
It is powered by around 17,000 solar cells on the wings of the aircraft, which drive four separate engines.
In order to prepare for the need to concentrate on flying the plane for such extended periods of time, both Bosrchberg and Piccard practised meditation techniques.
Piccard himself has experience on his side though, holding the record for the first ever non-stop round the world flight in a balloon, which he completed back in 1999.
