For the first time a plane capable of flying day and night powered exclusively by solar energy has crossed the United States without using a single drop of fuel. Solar Impulse landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Saturday night.
In an era when jet aircraft routinely cross the country in five-and-a-half hours, the Solar Impulse took 105 hours in the air, making stops in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. The flight from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. to New York alone took 18 hours and 23 minutes. The trans-continental crossing began on May 5.
The plane runs on four electric propellers powered by solar cells mounted on its 206 foot wingspan. It flies to 30,000 feet at a speed of 45 mph. Weighing about the size of a small car, it operates on the same amount of power of a small motorized scooter.
The only glitch during the journey was a rip that developed in the fabric of one wings. However, the condition of the aircraft was declared sufficiently stable to continue and the pilot was not in danger.
Despite the malfunction, Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg trumpeted the success of the project.
“It was a huge success for renewable energy,” Borschberg said upon arriving at JFK.
Borschberg was met on the tarmac by his fellow Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard, both of whom took turns flying the craft across the country.
“It was supposed to be the shortest and easiest leg (Washington to New York),” added Piccard, “but it was the most difficult.”
The two pilots, who have completed test flights across parts of Europe, are planning a round-the-world flight in a two-seater solar aircraft in 2015.
On its trip across America, the plane made use of its stops to promote the concept of renewable energy.