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By flying above the Pacific Ocean for over 80
hours, André Borschberg, co-founder, CEO and
pilot of Solar Impulse, is currently also
achieving the longest non-stop solo flight
without refuelling between Nagoya (Japan) and
Hawaii in terms of duration.
An accomplishment exceeding the American
Adventurer Steve Fossett's flight on board
Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, who, in 2006,
realized a 76 hours non stop flight to
circumnavigate the globe. Solar Impulse 2 has so
far accomplished 73 % of its flight to
Hawaii
and is intended to fly approximately 120 hours
in total before landing in Honolulu.
"Can you imagine that a solar powered airplane
without fuel can now fly longer than a jet
plane!", said Bertrand Piccard, initiator,
chairman and pilot of Solar Impulse. "This is a
clear message that clean technologies can
achieve impossible goals!"
André Borschberg is still enduring human,
technical and operational challenges, navigating
the high tech flying laboratory alone in an
unheated and unpressurized 3,8 cubic meter
cockpit.
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