Solar Impulse 2 finally completed its five-day, record-breaking voyage across the Pacific arriving in Hawaii.
Co-pilot André Borschberg navigated the solar-powered plane successfully from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii, on an epic journey that lasted 117 hours and 52 minutes. Not only did the flight break the world record for distance and duration for solar aviation, but also for the longest solo flight ever.
"I feel exhilarated by this extraordinary journey. I have climbed the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest five times without much rest. The team at the Mission Control Center in Monaco (MCC) was my eyes and my ears ... The MCC was battling to give me the possibility to rest and recover, but also maximizing the aircraft’s energy levels and sending me trajectories and flight strategies simulated by computer," Borschberg said in a statement.
"This success fully validates the vision that my partner Bertrand Piccard had after his round-the-world balloon flight to reach unlimited endurance in an airplane without fuel,"
"What André has achieved is extraordinary from the perspective of a pilot. But furthermore, he has also led the technical team during the construction of this revolutionary prototype. It is not only a historic first in aviation it is also a historic first for renewable energies," Piccard, co-founder of Solar Impulse, chairman and co-pilot said.
Piccard met Borshberg upon landing in Hawaii. The two raised their hands together in triumph, reuniting after the long and difficult voyage.
Piccard will fly to Phoenix for the next leg of the round-the-world attempt before the mission continues onward to New York and Europe before arriving back in Abu Dhabi where it all started. The team has yet to announce when the plane's journey will continue.
This was the most challenging flight for the aircraft to date. As the only person piloting the aircraft, Borshberg took short 20-minute power-naps throughout the multi-day journey to conserve his energy.
Borshberg also used yoga and self-hypnosis, which he said would help him get the maximum rest possible during his short naps. However, sleep deprivation wasn’t the only challenge, as temperatures varied between the extremes of 30°C and -20°C. Special food was been developed to withstand the conditions while providing the pilot with vital nutrients to remain alert during the flight.
The aircraft originally took off on its incredible journey from Abu Dhabi on March 9, flying to Muscat. Since then, the plane has traveled to Ahmedabad, India; Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Burma; Chongqing, China; Nanjing, China and most recently the unschedule stop in Nagoya, Japan.
Originally the solar-powered airplane planned to fly all the way from Nanjing, China, to Kalaeloa. However, the plane was forced to land in Japan after just 44 hours and 10 minutes and faced numerous delays before taking off again earlier this week.