Their ultimate goal is to make it back to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the trip began in March 2015.
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Lauding the touchdown at New York City, Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE Consul General in New York, said: “We are pleased to have Solar Impulse 2 in New York”.
“We are pleased to have Solar Impulse 2 in NY”, said Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE Consul General in NY.
The single-seat solar-powered airplane flew over the city and the Statue of Liberty in the Big Apple before touching down at JFK airport at around 4 a.m local time.
The journey so far included a stretch of five nights and five days from Japan to Hawaii, which broke a record for the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history.
Borschberg has shared the flight with his fellow Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard, who is a doctor.
NEW YORK (AP) – The pilots of a solar-powered airplane on a globe-circling voyage that began more than a year ago said their flight over the Statue of Liberty before landing in New York inspired them on their mission to promote a world free from reliance on fossil fuels.
The shoot was at NY harbour, capturing the bright-powered aircraft even as it soared over the Verrazano Bridge and swept toward the towering statue.
The same team made a months-long trip across America in 2013 using a smaller, less powerful plane.
Borschberg, who fielded phone calls from well-wishers and journalists during the flight, told one interviewer he could see the light grow denser and denser as he crossed out of Pennsylvania in the approach to NY. During night flights it runs on battery-stored power, traveling 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour, although its flight speed can double when exposed to full sunlight.
Last July, Borschberg made a record-setting, five-day trip across the western Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, but the batteries overheated during flight.
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New York City is the final US destination of the Solar Impulse 2 during its around-the-world journey.
