Technology
Solar plane begins second bid to cross Pacific Ocean
A solar-powered plane has started its second bid at a record-breaking flight across the Pacific Ocean.
Solar Impulse took off from Nagoya Airfield in Japan at 18:03 GMT and is scheduled to land in Hawaii in approximately 120 hours.
The team has spent nearly two months waiting for a clear weather window to cross the Pacific.
The first attempt to fly over the ocean was cut short after a change in the forecast forced an unscheduled landing.
And another attempt to take off last Tuesday was cancelled at the last moment because of concerns about the conditions.
Longest solo flight
This time, the team will not be widely publicising the take-off until the plane is several hours into its flight, as it may need to turn back if the forecast changes.
However, if the pilot succeeds, it will be the longest-duration solo flight in aviation history, as well as the furthest distance flown by a craft that is powered only by the Sun.
The Pacific crossing is the eighth leg of Solar Impulse’s journey around the world.
But this stage has proven to be the most difficult, and has been hit by weeks of delays.
Swiss pilot and Solar Impulse co-founder Andre Borschberg, who is flying the experimental single-seater craft, was initially supposed to begin his journey to Hawaii from Nanjing in China.
But he spent weeks there, with his ground-support team, waiting for the right flying conditions to present themselves.
He finally took off on the 31 May, but a deterioration in the forecast a few hours into the mission meant that he had to divert to Japan.
Solar Impulse took off from Nagoya Airfield in Japan at 18:03 GMT and is scheduled to land in Hawaii in approximately 120 hours.
The team has spent nearly two months waiting for a clear weather window to cross the Pacific.
The first attempt to fly over the ocean was cut short after a change in the forecast forced an unscheduled landing.
And another attempt to take off last Tuesday was cancelled at the last moment because of concerns about the conditions.
Longest solo flight
This time, the team will not be widely publicising the take-off until the plane is several hours into its flight, as it may need to turn back if the forecast changes.
However, if the pilot succeeds, it will be the longest-duration solo flight in aviation history, as well as the furthest distance flown by a craft that is powered only by the Sun.
The Pacific crossing is the eighth leg of Solar Impulse’s journey around the world.
But this stage has proven to be the most difficult, and has been hit by weeks of delays.
Swiss pilot and Solar Impulse co-founder Andre Borschberg, who is flying the experimental single-seater craft, was initially supposed to begin his journey to Hawaii from Nanjing in China.
But he spent weeks there, with his ground-support team, waiting for the right flying conditions to present themselves.
He finally took off on the 31 May, but a deterioration in the forecast a few hours into the mission meant that he had to divert to Japan.
Credit: BBC
