8 July 2013
Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aeroplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, has successfully landed at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport.
The flight has set a new milestone in the history of aviation: it’s the first time an aeroplane capable of flying day and night powered exclusively by solar energy has crossed the USA from the West to the East Coasts without using a single drop of fuel.
André Borschberg, Solar Impulse co-founder and CEO, landed Solar Impulse at JFK on Sunday, July 6 at 11:09pm EDT, thee hours earlier than planned because of a rip in the fabric on the lower side of the left wing. The flight took 18h 23min with a departure from Washington Dulles at 04:46am EDT on Saturday.
“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. But this type of problem is inherent to every experimental endeavor. 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,” said André Borschberg shortly after landing. He added, “We extend our gratitude to all airport and government authorities whose precious support made this mission possible.”
The arrival of Solar Impulse in New York City marks the culmination of its ambitious journey Across America, which started on 3 May in San Francisco, California. The journey took a total of 105h 41min and 3511 miles flown at an average speed of 28.8kt. Before reaching New York, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg alternately flew Solar Impulse to Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Washington D.C. The aeroplane stopped over in each of these cities giving the opportunity to the team to organise public viewings and political meetings with high level representatives such as Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, to promote clean technologies, energy efficiency and renewable energies.
“Flying coast-to-coast has always been a mythical milestone full of challenges for aviation pioneers,” said Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Initiator, Chairman and pilot. “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 href=”http://www.solarimpulse.com”>Click here for more</a>
