The experimental plane – which runs purely on solar power – landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 3:59 a.m. ET after a four-hour and 41 minute flight from Pennsylvania.
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“This flight over #Statueofliberty symbolises United States values – liberty of pioneers, liberty to explore, liberty to invent”, Mr Borschberg said in a tweet posted along with a photo of the city’s lights twinkling in the early morning darkness.
Prior to its arrival in Lehigh Valley, Solar Impulse 2 made stops in India, Myanmar, China, Japan, Hawaii, California, Phoenix, Tulsa and Dayton.
Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi about a year ago.
Solar Impulse 2 was originally scheduled to arrive in NY early on Tuesday but the flight was postponed due to bad weather. Solar Impulse’s energy efficient solutions can already be used, not only in the air, but also on the ground, and have the potential to change lives, societies and future markets in an unprecedented way. From New York, the plane will fly across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
Pilots and Swiss adventurers Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard set out to circumnavigate the globe past year in the plane without using fuel or spewing polluting emissions.
Nevertheless, the plan is still on track to complete the round-the-world trip powered by just solar energy. He said weather conditions will dictate when they embark and a decision will likely be made in flight as to where they land – either Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal or elsewhere.
Surplus power is stored in four batteries during the day, to keep the plane aloft on extreme long-distance flights.
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Their trip across the USA began April 24. The Solar Impulse 2 is attempting to fly around the world without fuel. “No idea yet”, the Solar Impulse team wrote on its website.
