Solar-powered plane makes successful Pacific flight

PanARMENIAN.Net - A solar-powered plane has made a successful flight over the Pacific Ocean, Digital Spy reports.

Solar Impulse landed in Silicon Valley after a three-day journey over the Pacific, although high winds delayed the landing. It was the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world, having started its journey last March in Abu Dhabi.

The fuel-free plane left Hawaii on Thursday (April 21) after eight months of repairs to its batteries. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard told the BBC that it was important to link the project with "the pioneering spirit in Silicon Valley".

"Can you imagine crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on a solar-powered plane just like ships did in past centuries? But the plane doesn't make noise and doesn't pollute," he added.

The round-the-world trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs, with the plane getting all its energy from the sun as a result of 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its top surfaces.

Solar Impulse has crossed Oman, India, Myanmar and China during its journey. 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.

Piccard's business partner Andre Borschberg will be taking the controls on Solar Impulse's next leg across the US mainland. The intention is to reach New York by the start of June to begin preparing for its Atlantic crossing.

Solar Impulse is wider than a 747 jumbo jet, but weighs just 2.3 tonnes. Piccard and Borschberg have been working on the project for more than a decade.