SOLAR-PLANE/CHINA/TAKE-OFF UPDATE Solar Impulse departs for Hawaii after nearly a month of delays

Record ID: 149568

  • Title: SOLAR-PLANE/CHINA/TAKE-OFF UPDATE Solar Impulse departs for Hawaii after nearly a month of delays
  • Date: 30th May 2015
  • Summary: NANJING, JIANGSU PROVINCE, CHINA (MAY 30, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** SOLAR IMPULSE IN TENT STAFF DOING PREPARATION VARIOUS OF STAFF CHECKING SOLAR PANELS ON CRANE STAFF GETTING INTO COCKPIT STAFF STARTING THE SOLAR IMPULSE SOLAR IMPULSE TO PILOT ANDRE BORSCHBERG AND ANDRE BORSCHBERG WALKING TOWARDS MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) PILOT OF SOLA
  • Embargoed: 14th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABLBO1R5RBHHAPHJ9XI6LV2YGP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Solar Impulse 2 departed from the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing for Hawaii on early Sunday (May 31) morning.
    The plane took off at around 2:40 AM local time (1840 GMT) after being grounded in Nanjing for more than a month due to weather concerns.
    The solar-powered aircraft needs plenty of sunlight to make the journey of 6 consecutive days and nights to Hawaii according to the pilot, Andre Borschberg.
    "I feel privileged to be able to try this flight. I'm sure it's going to be an fantastic experience. So as you can see, we are all excited but I'm especially excited. So I hope we have good news in six days and six nights," he added.
    Pilot Andre Borschberg, who will be in the cockpit from Nanjing to Hawaii, also said that he is confident in a smooth ride ahead, although the flight will require himself to cut a proper balance of sleeping and piloting the plane.
    "I wouldn't leave if I will have doubts. So I'm very confident. I know if the situation will be different, compared with the one that we know today. But I think we have tools to adapt and we have the team to identify where to go. So I feel really confident to make it to Hawaii," he said.
    The flight had been slated to take off last week but its departure was pushed to today since a change in weather patterns over the Pacific would have forced the plane to deviate from its original course, dragging its five-day flight on to seven.
    The plane is only as heavy as a family car (2,300 kg, 5,100 pounds) but has a wingspan as wide as the largest passenger airliner. Its journey around the world will span approximately a total of 25 flight days broken up into 12 legs at speeds between 50 and 100 km (30 to 60 miles) per hour.
    This flight across the Pacific is its longest yet in this journey.
    Studies, design and construction took 12 years and a first version of the craft that was rolled out in 2009 broke records for height and distance travelled by a manned solar plane.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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