'Phenomenal sight' of solar plane taking off

A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane has got under way from Abu Dhabi.

The aircraft - called Solar Impulse-2 - took off from the Emirate, heading east to Muscat in Oman.

Over the next five months, it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Two Swiss pilots - Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg - will take turns at the controls during the long adventure.

Mark Lobel was at the launch site as the plane took off.