Swiss pilot surpasses solar-powered plane altitude record

Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beated the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane on Tuesday in a flight that took him soaring to 9,521 metres, according to his team.

The SolarStratos plane made the landmark flight from Sion airport in southwest Switzerland, taking advantage of warm air thermals to go beyond the record that has stood for 15 years. The data will be sent to the World Air Sports Federation governing body, which will decide whether to validate the new record.