Andre Borschberg

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Solar Flight Just Made History
 Solar Flight Just Made History 

Solar Flight Just Made History

Solar Impulse 2 lands in Abu Dhabi, completing an around-the-world flight

(Newser) - The world's first around-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun's energy made history Tuesday as it landed in Abu Dhabi, where it first took off on an epic 25,000-mile journey that began more than a year ago, reports the AP . Since its March 2015 takeoff,...

Solar Impulse Completes Risky Pacific Leg, Lands in Calif.

Plane has landed safely in Mountain View after 62-hour flight

(Newser) - A solar-powered airplane landed in California on Saturday, completing a risky, three-day flight across the Pacific Ocean as part of its journey around the world. Pilot Bertrand Piccard landed the Solar Impulse 2 in Mountain View, south of San Francisco, at 11:45pm following a 62-hour, nonstop solo flight without...

Solar Plane, Grounded Since July, Resumes Quest

Next stop: California

(Newser) - A solar plane on an around-the-world journey has reached the point of no return over the Pacific Ocean after departing Hawaii, and now it's California or bust, the AP reports. The plane was cruising over the cold northern Pacific late Thursday at about 20,000 feet with a nearly-full...

Historic Solar Flight Passes 'Point of No Return'

120-hour journey from Japan to end in Kalaeloa, Hawaii

(Newser) - Round two of the Solar Impulse's toughest leg is under way. After the solar plane's first attempt to cross the Pacific was interrupted a month ago , flight engineers spotted what the Japan Times calls a "possible cloudless stretch." That allowed pilot Andre Borschberg to take off...

Solar Plane Begins Round-the-World Flight

'Solar Impulse' journey will take 5 months

(Newser) - With its wings stretched wide to catch the sun's energy, a Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi just after daybreak today in a historic first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fossil fuel. Solar Impulse founder André Borschberg was at the controls of...

Solar Plane Lands in NYC, Wraps Epic Journey

Wing tear aborts planned fly-by of Statue of Liberty

(Newser) - The Solar Impulse sent its cross-continental odyssey into the history books last night, reports the AP , landing at New York's JFK Airport at 11:09pm to complete the journey's final leg. The plane, powered by about 11,000 solar cells and that glowing orb in the sky, left...

Solar Plane Sets Distance Record in 18-Hour Flight

But Phoenix-Dallas flight wasn't exactly shredding any speed records

(Newser) - The Solar Impulse—the entirely solar-powered plane you have to be a little bit crazy to fly —isn't even close to finished with its ambitious cross-country odyssey , but it's already made history. The Impulse broke its own record for the longest solar-powered flight today when it landed...

Solar-Powered Plane Ready for Toughest Flight Yet

Solar Impulse will take off May 1, cross country

(Newser) - Solar Impulse is ready for its toughest challenge yet: Starting May 1, the sun-powered plane will begin a long, slow trip from California to the other side of the United States, reports the Mercury News . With four 10-horsepower engines, the Solar Impulse flies at 35 miles per hour—that's...

Solar Plane Completes 24-Hour Flight

Team proves sun can power plane more or less indefinitely

(Newser) - An experimental solar-powered plane landed safely today after completing its first 24-hour test flight, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night. Pilot Andre Borschberg eased the Solar Impulse onto the runway at Payerne airfield in Switzerland at exactly...

Solar Plane Attempts 24-Hour Test Flight

Weighs as much as a car, with the wingspan of an airliner

(Newser) - An experimental solar-powered plane whose makers hope to one day circle the globe using only energy collected from the sun took off for its first 24-hour test flight today. The plane, which weighs about as much as a car but has a 262.5-foot wingspan, left Payerne airfield in Switzerland...

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