Solar plane lands in US after crossing the Pacific
MOUNTAIN VIEW, United States—Solar Impulse 2, an experimental plane flying around the world without consuming a drop of fuel, landed on Sunday in California, one leg closer to completing its trailblazing trip.
“The Pacific is done, my friend. I love it, but it’s done,” said the clearly relieved Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, who piloted from Hawaii to California, just before landing.
“It’s great to be in California, the land of pioneers,” he said once on the ground, with Google cofounder and alternative energy enthusiast Sergey Brin on hand. “Innovation and pioneering must continue. The clean tech revolution has to keep moving forward.”
Piccard, a 58-year-old doctor by training, said enduring the 62-hour stretch between Hawaii and this Silicon Valley town alone was one of the “most amazing” experiences of his life.
“I bet that in 10 years, electric airplanes will be transporting up to 50 people. This will happen,” he added.
The arrival at Moffett Airfield, southeast of San Francisco, marked the completion of the ninth of 13 legs in a journey that began last year in the United Arab Emirates.
Piccard, who has been alternating the long solo flights with teammate Andre Borschberg, will now hand over to his teammate who will pilot the Solar Impulse across the United States and to New York.
The goal of the mission is to promote the use of renewable energy, with an aircraft powered by 17,000 solar cells.
The plane’s wingspan is wider than that of a jumbo jet, but its weight is roughly the same as a car’s, thanks to its light construction.