A solar-powered airplane on a mission to fly around the world landed in California, completing a risky, three-day flight across an expanse of the Pacific Ocean. From Japan, it undertook a 8,924km journey to Hawaii with the five-day, five-night crossing setting a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey.
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The trip began in March 2015 from Abu Dhabi, with stops in Oman, Myanmar, China and Japan, before flying over the Pacific Ocean and reaching Hawaii in July 2015.
The plane took off from Hawaii on Thursday, resuming a journey that had stalled on the island of Oahu for nearly 10 months.
Piccard said the next destination, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is fitting, as the plane will land “in the middle of the pioneering spirit”.
A Solar Impulse prototype became the first solar airplane to “fly through the night, between two continents, and across the United States”, according to its creators.
Solar Impulse 2, an experimental plane flying around the world without consuming a drop of fuel, landed Sunday in California, one leg closer to completing its trailblazing trip.
So gruelling was that leg of the journey that it burned out the plane’s batteries, grounding it for six months while essential repairs were carried out.
Solar Impulse 2 pilots Bertrand Piccard, left, and Andre Borschberg speak with reporters after their solar-powered plane landed at Moffett field in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, April 23, 2016. This will happen. This is not science fiction.
But a series of frustrating weather delays in China slowed progress for weeks, followed by an unexpected diversion to Japan where the aircraft was damaged on the tarmac by a storm.
The optimal speed for the plane is roughly 28mph, but it can double that speed during the hottest part of the day. “Freedom is not about getting to a country, freedom is about being independent from fossil energy”, Piccard said.
“We have demonstrated it is feasible to fly many days, many nights, that the technology works” said Borschberg, 63, who piloted the plane on a five-day trip from Japan to Hawaii and kept himself alert with yoga poses and meditation.
“I could continue all the way to New York!”, Swiss explorer and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard joked with flight controllers during landing. “This is maybe one of the most fantastic experiences of life I’ve had”.
But the Solar Pulse 2 team say journey is focused squarely on clean technology, showing that solar power can “improve our quality of life”.
The pilot and creators of the Solar Impulse 2 told ABC7 News they are thrilled to be in the Bay Area after arriving Saturday night.
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But he said passenger aircraft with solar-powered batteries would not be viable for commercial aviation.
