Solar Impulse 2 reaches Hawaii

The solar powered aircraft of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg - Solar Impulse 2 - has achieved the longest exploration leg of its Round-The-World mission, completing its trip from Japan to Hawaii.
Time Aerospace thumbnail

At the controls of Solar Impulse 2, André Borschberg landed safely in Kalaeloa on 3rd July at 05:55 local time, after a perilous non-stop flight of five days and nights, to encourage the use of clean technologies.

Above: Solar Impulse 2 landing in Hawaii.
©  Solar Impulse

Solar Impulse 2 slid into a huge permanent structure at Kalaeloa, so there was no need to inflate the team's mobile hangar.

The team are now back to the search for clear skies and a weather window that will allow Bertrand Piccard to fly from Hawaii to Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Bertrand Piccard said: "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.

"This oceanic flight to Hawaii demonstrates that if technological solutions exist to fly a plane day and night without fuel, then there is potential for these same efficient technologies to be used in our daily lives, and to achieve energy savings to reduce CO2 emissions.

"We want to inspire our supporters to add their voice to the message on futureisclean.org: a website serving as a petition to convince governments around the globe to implement the necessary clean technology solutions and help ensure that the United Nations’ upcoming Conference on Climate Change (COP21) is successful in renewing the Kyoto protocol this December in Paris."

The progress of Solar Impulse’s Round-The-World mission can be followed on the Solar Impulse website.