Trip took a while to complete, but technology proves promising
For the first time in the history of aviation, a plane
capable of flying day and night powered only by solar energy
has crossed the entire continental United States. The image
above shows André Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of
Solar Impulse, landing the aircraft at New York’s JFK
airport on Sunday, July 6 at 11:09 p.m. EDT.
The touchdown concluded a journey that started in San
Francisco, California on May 3rd.
It took Solar Impulse 105 hours and 41 minutes to fly the
3,511 miles between both cities. During the journey, the
plane averaged a speed of 28.8 kt.
The last leg of the journey was not without its trials and
tribulations, though. “This last leg was especially
difficult due to the damage of the fabric on the left wing.
It obliged the team to envisage all the possible scenarios,
including bailing out over the Atlantic,” said Borschberg.
“But this type of problem is inherent to every experimental
endeavor,” he added. “In the end, this didn’t prevent us
from succeeding in our Across America mission and provided
an invaluable learning experience in preparation for the
round-the-world tour in 2015.”
Prior to reaching its east coast destination, the plane made
pit stops in Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis,
Cincinnati, and Washington D.C.
The purpose of these pit stops was to organize public
viewings as well as political meetings, with the topic of
discussion being focused on clean technologies, energy
efficiency, and renewable energies.
Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Initiator and Chairman,
who also shared piloting duties with Borschberg during the
plane’s journey across the States, reflected on the
importance of what the company has just achieved: “Flying
coast-to-coast has always been a mythical milestone full of
challenges for aviation pioneers. During this journey, we
had to find solutions for a lot of unforeseen situations,
which obliged us to develop new skills and strategies. In
doing so, we also pushed the boundaries of clean
technologies and renewable energies to unprecedented
levels.”
A bevy of events are scheduled in and around the New York
City area to celebrate Solar Impulse’s achievement.
Afterwards, the team will return to their home in
Switzerland.