Solar-powered plane lands another leg in round-the-world attempt

DAYTON, Ohio, May 23 (UPI) -- The first solar-powered airplane attempting to fly around the world has completed the third leg of its U.S. journey, landing in Dayton.

The Solar Impulse 2 arrived at Dayton International Airport at 9:56 p.m. Saturday after a 16-hour, 34-minute flight from Tulsa, Okla., that measured 692 miles. It landed in Tulsa from Phoenix on May 12.

The team had planned to fly to New York by now but spent eight days in Oklahoma because of bad weather across the East Coast.

"Dayton, Ohio not only brings us a step closer to attempting the Atlantic Crossing but also marks the birthplace of an aviation revolution: the success of the first flight with a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft," the team {link:wrote in its blog. : "http://blog.solarimpulse.com/post/144731000160/landing-dayton" target="_blank"}

Dayton is the home of the Wright Brothers, who are credited with flying the world's first successful airplane in 1903.

Andre Borschberg piloted the one-person plane that spans 236 feet, longer than a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. He and fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard have alternated time in the cockpit.

After travelling to New York, the team plans to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe or North Africa and then to the Middle East this summer or late fall.

Last year they attempted to circumnavigate the globe. The first leg began in March 2015 in Abu Dhabi. It made trips across Asia and then Borschberg made the world's longest non-stop solo flight (four days, 21 hours and 52 minutes) from Japan to Hawaii. A damaged battery grounded the flight for several months.