117 hours, 52 minutes: Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii after record-breaking flight
Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii after a record-breaking flight from Japan.
At 5:55am Hawaii Standard Time on July 3rd, André Borschberg touched down at Hawaii’s Kalaeloa Airport – breaking the world records not only for longest and farthest solar flight, but also establishing a new world record for longest solo flight: 5 days and 5 night of flight covering nearly 7,200 kilometers. Since taking off from Nagoya, Japan, on June 29, Borschberg had faced a variety of challenges: extreme temperature fluctuations in the cabin, turbulence from hostile weather fronts, a strict sleeping schedule that limited him to brief naps throughout the day. His sunrise arrival on the island of Oahu was a achievement not only for the physical limits of a human pilot and the technical capacities of the Solar Impulse 2.
The bigger picture
More importantly, the successful completion of the grueling Pacific leg proved – to Borschberg, his co-pilot Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse team, and the world – that a cleaner future for aviation and transportation at large is possible, backed by a pioneering and innovative spirit:
The road – or flight – ahead
But the hard part isn’t over for the Solar Impulse team – there are still several more challenges ahead, including the next leg: the flight from Hawaii to Phoenix, Arizona. Bertrand Piccard will be in the pilot’s seat for that journey, as he and his team continue to test the limits of solar flight and clean technology.
The Hawaii landing in photos (click to enlarge):
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- Hawaii, United States of America, July 3, 2015: Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii. COPYRIGHT:Solar Impulse | Revillard | Rezo.ch
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- Hawaii, United States of America, July 3, 2015: Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii. COPYRIGHT:Solar Impulse | Revillard | Rezo.ch
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- Solar Impulse, flanked by the moon, comes in the land at Kalaeloa Airport on Oahu, Hawaii.
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- Hawaii, United States of America, July 3, 2015: Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii. COPYRIGHT:Solar Impulse | Revillard | Rezo.ch
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- Hawaii, United States of America, July 3, 2015: Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii. COPYRIGHT:Solar Impulse | Revillard | Rezo.ch
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- (l-r:) Solar Impulse co-pilot Bertrand Piccard and Solar Impulse ground team member Gregory Blatt on the runway at Kalaeloa Airport, awaiting the plane’s arrival.
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- Solar Impulse’s ground crew on the runway at Kalaeloa Airport as the plane makes its approach.
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- Touchdown! André Borschberg lands at Kalaeloa Airport in Hawaii at 5:55am local time, July 3.
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- The Solar Impulse team greets pilot André Borschberg as he lands in Hawaii after 5 days and 5 nights in the air.
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- Solar Impulse’s Gregory Blatt shares news of the plane’s arrival.
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- Pilot André Borschberg shortly after his arrival in Hawaii on July 3.
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- Solar Impulse co-pilot Bertrand Piccard greets Yasmin Borschberg on the runway in Hawaii.
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- Solar Impulse co-pilot Bertrand Piccard and his wife, Michèle Piccard.
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- (l-r:) co-pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg on the runway in Hawaii, celebrating Solar Impulse 2’s safe landing after more than 117 hours in the air.
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- (l-r): Co-pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg are greeted by local fans on the runway at Kalarloa Airport in Hawaii.
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- Solar Impulse’s home for the next few days.
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