(Newswire.net — April 25, 2016) —Two pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, landed the Solar Impulse 2 in California. Solar Impulse 2 is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project that landed after the last and risky phase of traveling over the Pacific Ocean.
The flight was a dangerous one as there are not many places to land if something goes wrong over the ocean. The pilots had to avoid turbulence, strong winds and clouds as the plane needs clear skies to recharge its batteries.
This experimental journey around the world began in March 2015, from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and continued through Oman, Myanmar, China, Japan and Hawaii. The last phase began in Hawaii and lasted three days. The two pilots landed the solar power plane after three days and 62 hours of continuous, non-stop flying, without fuel, according to a tweet from the pilots from Solar Impulse 2.
After landing, one of the pilots, Bertrand Piccard, told CNN that this flight is a new era, not science fiction, it is reality and clean technologies can do the impossible.
“I could continue all the way to New York!”, Swiss explorer and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard joked with flight controllers during landing.
The purpose of the trip was to popularization clean renewable technologies and innovative spirit. Solar Impulse 2 is a solar-powered airplane that does not use fuel. During its trip around the world, the plane covered nearly 22,000 miles.
The elegant solar aircraft looks like a giant, high-tech dragonfly. It has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 but only weighs about as much as an SUV and travels about the same speed as a car.
Solar Impulse 2 was originally supposed to land back in Abu Dhabi, where it started its journey in March 2015, by the end of last summer. During the voyage, the pilots were faced with series of frustrating weather delays in China and Japan.
This successful trip proved that Solar Impulse 2 has the ability to fly for an unlimited period, and only the human factor can limit how long the plane could continually be in the air.