Solar-Powered Plane Ends Record Breaking Flight In Lehigh Valley

By Greg Argos and Ian Bush

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – On Wednesday night a plan without fuel is expected to land at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, but it won't be an emergency landing.

The plane is known at the 'Solar Impulse 2' and it's an experimental aircraft powered entirely by the sun.

"There is no fuel used on this aircraft," said Charles Everett, the executive director of the airport.

The public is invited to watch the Solar Impulse 2 and its massive wingspan when it lands, touching down at just 30 miles per hour, in Allentown.

"So it's a very exciting opportunity for us to be one of the airports this plane is landing at," Everett said.

There are no passengers, no room for a co-pilot -- only pilot Bertrand Piccard and his vision to change the world with clean energy.

"We can fly longer without fuel on solar power than with fuel. We can be more energy efficient. At the same time, we can protect the environment, create jobs, make profits, and sustain growth -- it's the market of the future," he said.

He and co-founder Andre Borschberg have traded off cockpit duties for more than a year since the round-the-world journey began.

"We hope that it will be possible in the future to fly with more speed, with more people on board."

The flight began in Abu Dhabi in July of last year. The goal is to fly around the world, storing power from daylight in batteries which allow the plane to continue flying at night.

What's it like to fly around the earth without a drop of fuel?

"I dream with my eyes open, because it's like science fiction to be here. We want to show that clean technologies can achieve the impossible," said pilot Bertrand Piccard.

Already, crew members are preparing for the Solar Impulse 2's 9 o'clock scheduled landing.

Right now there are no public events scheduled but we're told that could change. After Allentown, the Solar Impulse 2 heads for a Statue of Liberty fly-by before making its way to John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. You can watch at solarimpulse.com.