Swiss solar plane lifts off on first test flight

The prototype, which is slightly smaller than the plane has a wingspan comparable to that of an Airbus A340 airliner but weighs as little as a only 1,600 kg
The Solar Impulse Payerne (Switzerland), April 7: The Solar Impulse aircraft, a pioneering Swiss bid to fly around the world on solar energy, took off on its first test flight from an air base in western Switzerland on Wednesday.