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Solar Impulse aeroplane reaches Oklahoma

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Leaving PhoenixImage source, SOLAR IMPULSE
Image caption,

The plane left Goodyear, Phoenix, before dawn on what was to be an 18-hour flight

Solar Impulse has landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ending stage 11 in its round-the-world journey.

Pilot Bertrand Piccard brought the plane in from Phoenix, Arizona, in a flight that lasted just over 18 hours.

The zero-fuel aircraft has now reached halfway across America, with its immediate goal of getting to New York firmly in sight.

The Swiss team wants to be on the East Coast at the start of June to begin planning the big Atlantic crossing.

To complete its circumnavigation of the globe, the solar-powered aeroplane needs to get to Abu Dhabi, UAE. That is where the adventure got under way in March last year.

As well as setting new aviation milestones, the stated purpose of the project is to demonstrate the .

Image source, SOLAR IMPULSE
Image caption,

Solar Impulse landed at Tulsa International Airport on Thursday, 12 May at 23:15 local time

LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute

LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes

LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes

LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes

LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes

LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes

LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes

LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes

LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) to Mountain View, California (US) - 4,523km; 2 Days 17 Hours 29 Minutes

LEG 10: 2 May. Mountain View, California (US) to Phoenix, Arizona (US) - 1,199km; 15 Hours 52 Minutes

LEG 11: 12 May. Phoenix, Arizona (US) to Tulsa, Oklahoma (US) - 1,570 km; 18 Hours 10 Minutes