Explorer Attempts Longest Solo Trip in a Solar-Powered Aircraft
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“All scientific breakthroughs start with a crazy idea and are first said to be impossible.”
sent that tweet yesterday — and it makes sense he would. The Swiss pilot is testing his own crazy idea: attempting to circumnavigate the world in a solar-powered aircraft.
The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2, which took off from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in March, is circling the globe, stopping in 12 cities over five months, in an effort to bring awareness to the potential of solar energy. Currently, Borschberg is a bit more than 22 hours into the longest leg of that journey. The 120-hour solo flight will traverse the Pacific Ocean, flying from Nagoya, Japan, to Hawaii.
Already the Solar Impulse team has , but if they are able to complete this 120 hour, five-day, five-night leg of the journey, .
Related: Solar-Powered Plane Completes First Leg of Journey Around the Globe
The Solar Impulse team is calling this leg of the journey “the moment of truth,” according to , because it is the longest and riskiest part.
Borschberg and fellow Swiss pilot , who have prepared for this, are taking turns at the wheel of the aircraft. on account of bad weather before the aircraft finally took off yesterday.
The one-seater futuristic aircraft , roughly equivalent to a Boeing 747 passenger plane, but weighs only 2,300 kilograms, or approximately the weight of a car. Of particular importance to its ability to take multi-day trips, the Solar Impulse can fly at night.
Related: This Startup Wants to Shine a Light on Far Reaches of the Globe
Check out these pics:
The reason why we are flying to Hawaii is because we want to prove is possible:
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) Some selfies received directly from ‘s cockpit today! Great spirit!
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) From Nagoya to Hawaii: an epic flight across the ! Stay tuned on
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) After 16h of flight, passed the non-return point & is entering the night.
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) The exploration starts together with . I’m now 16 hours fully into the flight!
— André Borschberg (@andreborschberg) All scientific breakthroughs start with a crazy idea and are first said to be impossible
— André Borschberg (@andreborschberg) To tackle the human challenge, ‘s pilots draw on of self-hypnosis & yoga
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) This first flight across the Pacific will be an exploration flight, the longest of ‘s mission
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) Related: Bright Idea: Startup Aims to Advance Solar Energy in Developing Countries
“All scientific breakthroughs start with a crazy idea and are first said to be impossible.”
sent that tweet yesterday — and it makes sense he would. The Swiss pilot is testing his own crazy idea: attempting to circumnavigate the world in a solar-powered aircraft.
The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2, which took off from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in March, is circling the globe, stopping in 12 cities over five months, in an effort to bring awareness to the potential of solar energy. Currently, Borschberg is a bit more than 22 hours into the longest leg of that journey. The 120-hour solo flight will traverse the Pacific Ocean, flying from Nagoya, Japan, to Hawaii.
