Landing safely in Hawaii on Friday ( July 3 ) , the Swiss aircraft Solar Impulse 2 , as piloted by André Borschberg , has set a cosmos record for the longest solar - powered flight by time , longest solar - power escape by distance and the longest solo escape by time .
Flying nonstop from Nagoya , Japan to Kalaeloa Airport in Hawaii , the undivided - seater aircraft landed at 5:55 a.m. local metre ( 3:55 p.m. GMT ; 4:55 p.m. BST ) . The event was bouncy stream on Solar Impulse’swebsite .
This record - breaking ocean trip marks the 8th of 13 planned journeys around the world for the Swiss venture Solar Impulse , co - founded by André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard . They have been taking turns in piloting the plane .
Just landed in#Hawaiiwith@solarimpulse ! For@bertrandpiccardand I , it ’s a dream coming truepic.twitter.com/0y3xhIbnXN
— André Borschberg ( @andreborschberg)July 3 , 2015
By achieving the world record for prospicient prison term , Borschberg has take the post of American pilot Steve Fossett , who spent 76 time of day airborne in a individual - seater reverse lightning in 2006 .
Borschberg and Piccard reunited . Solar Impulse .
" I finger exhilarated by this extraordinary journeying . I have go up the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest five times without much repose , " Borschberg later said in a command .
Between the Nipponese site and its Hawaiian finish , Solar Impulse 2 cover an astonishing 7,200 kilometers ( 4,500 miles ) in 118 hours . As there was no landing embrasure for the plane to call into if it ran aground , this itinerary is regarded as one of the most dangerous .
" What André has achieved is over-the-top from the position of a pilot , " tell Piccard , speaking toCNET . " But furthermore , he has also extend the technical squad during the construction of this revolutionary prototype . It is not only a historical first in aviation , it is also a historic first for renewable energies . "
The Solar Impulse is exclusively fueled by solar power . The aircraft ’s wingspan is 72 metre ( 236 groundwork ) . Because it is made of carbon fiber , the aircraft weighs less than 2,300 kilo ( 5,070 pound ) .
There are wide-eyed applications for the actual mission of Solar Impulse , hoping to bring zero - fuel flight to the head of environmental discussion . While there are currently no solar - powered airplanes in use by any major escape industries at the mo , the Solar Impulse 2 does present a legitimate alternative .
The next leg for Solar Impulse 2 sees Piccard tent flap to Phoenix , Arizona . The mission will carry on to New York and Europe before heading to Abu Dhabi where it all began in March this class .
[ H / T : CNET ]
