Flight Would Cover Over 5,000 Miles Using Only Solar Power

It has all kind of led up to this. Solar Impulse 2 is getting set to begin its crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Nanjing, China, a flight which may depart Wednesday.

Andre Borschberg will be the pilot for the initial leg of the ocean crossing, which is expected to take as long as five days. If he is forced to ditch the gossamer airplane, he will have only a liferaft and his own resources to sustain him.

Of course, a ditching is something that is planned for but not anticipated. Still, the McClatchy news service reports that the developers of Solar Impulse 2 admit they are nervous about the crossing. Borschberg will fly the first leg to Hawaii, which could take as long as five days, and then Bertrand Piccard will take over and fly the airplane on to southern California.

The plane has a cruising speed of about 70 knots, and is powered only by electricity generated by solar panels on the airplane. If they are successful in their overall effort, Borschberg and Piccard will become the first people to circumnavigate the globe using only solar energy.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.solarimpulse.com