At 207-foot the wingspan of the Solar Impulse is near that of a jumbo jet. Laden with 12,000 solar cells, the solar-powered plane left Switzerland Thursday to start a transcontinental flight to North Africa.
Fog on the runaway delayed its take off by two hours.
Checkout the gallery of the Solar Impluse.
Matthew Fortner has been at The News & Observer since 2002. He has a passion for gadgets, cutting-edge technology and all things geek.