Solar Impulse arrives in Hawaii, completes historic flight : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Solar Impulse arrives in Hawaii, completes historic flight

KAPOLEI: The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft completed an historic flight in its quest to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel, touching down gracefully in Hawaii on Friday after the most arduous leg of its journey.

Solar Impulse arrives in Hawaii, completes historic flight

This handout photo provided by the Solar Impulse project on July 3, 2015, shows ‘Solar Impulse2’, a solar-powered plane piloted by Swiss Andre Borschberg, before approaching Kalaeloa Airport, Oahu, Hawaii. AFP photo/Solar Impulse/Jean Revillard



Kapolei, July 4

The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft completed an historic flight in its quest to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel, touching down gracefully in Hawaii on Friday after the most arduous leg of its journey.

The sun-powered plane, piloted by veteran Swiss aviator Andre Borschberg, took five days to make the historic voyage from Japan to Hawaii and landed shortly after dawn at Kalaeloa Airport on the main Hawaiian island of Oahu.

“Just landed in #Hawaii with @solarimpulse! For @bertrandpiccard and I, it's a dream coming true," Borschberg tweeted triumphantly upon after completing the most dangerous leg of the around-the-world journey.

Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard have been alternating the long solo flights aboard the plane. The flight from Japan to Hawaii was the eighth of 13 legs.

His colleague and tag-team copilot on the venture, Piccard expressed elation over the arrival of aircraft and pilot.

“Difficult to believe what I see: #Si2 in Hawaii! But I never had doubts that @andreborschberg could make it!" he wrote on Twitter.

“This flight to Hawaii is not only an aviation historic first, but also a historic first for energy and cleantechs,” wrote Piccard.

The experimental plane touched down in Hawaii shortly after dawn — a little after 1600 GMT — amid cheers and applause from the ground crew. Borschberg, all smiles, emerged a short time later from the cockpit.

Sunlight glimmered on the horizon as the Solar Impulse ground crew burst into cheers and applause upon completion of the groundbreaking flight, whose progress was streamed live at the solar impulse website.

The plane landed around noon ET at Hawaii's Kalaeloa Airport after an arduous five-day, non-stop flight, according to Solar Impulse's website, which livestreamed the event.

The completed 4,000-mile leg from Nagoya, Japan, to Hawaii was not only the world's longest solar-powered flight both by time and distance, it also set the record for longest solo flight by time.

As the flight neared its destination, the Solar Impulse team tweeted images and videos of the plane over Hawaii.

Earlier Friday, founder of Virgin Group Richard Branson congratulated the Solar Impulse team on Twitter for beating Virgin's record non-stop solo flight without refueling.

"The #solarteam made it. WE MADE IT, YOU MADE IT THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT!"read a message posted under the Twitter handle @solarimpulse. — AFP

Top News

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Ansari was hospitalised after he complained of abdominal pai...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All