Solar Impulse 2 crossed the Pacific Ocean !

After over 62 hours of flight, Swiss pioneer Bertrand Piccard landed safely at 08:44am CET (06:44 UTC) at the forecasted destination in Mountain View! By completing the 9th leg Solar Impulse 2 has successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean – the first flight ever with a solar-powered airplane in aviation history and a big step towards accomplishing the around-the-world flight!

Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) took off from Kakaeloa Airport in Hawaii early on Thursday morning, 21 April 2016 at 6:15am Hawaiian time (UTC-10). The team of Si2 has been in contact with the FAI Head Office before take-off in order to submit the pre-declarations for several FAI World Records.

The flight itself was very smooth and the aircraft was very stable throughout the whole flight. The landing faced some turbulences and it was challenging to use the limited airspace while flying from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge over the bay of San Francisco. The flight ended with a perfect landing. Piccard was welcomed by his wife Michelle and André Borschberg first as he was stepping outside of the aircraft – a big relieve and an emotional moment for everyone involved.

An additional powerful symbol was that Si2 was airborne on 22 April 2016, the Earth Day. Whilst still over the Pacific Ocean, Piccard took a few minutes to exchange pleasantries with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Now the team of Solar Impulse 2 is looking for the next slot for Solar Impulse 2 to take off in direction East to Phoenix in Arizona in order to cross the continental landmass of the USA. The final goal to complete the circumnavigation will be Abu Dhabi (UAE), were the adventure started in March 2015.

FAI, the World Air Sports Federation, would like to congratulate the whole Team of Solar Impulse 2 on this extraordinary achievement!

Photo Credit: Solar Impulse