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Solar-Powered Plane Lands in Hawaii After Flight from Japan

Pilot Andre Borschberg's nearly 118-hour voyage from Nagoya broke the record for the world's longest nonstop solo flight, his team said.
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KAPOLEI, Hawaii — A plane powered by the sun's rays landed in Hawaii Friday after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan.

Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat aircraft landed at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu. His nearly 118-hour voyage from Nagoya broke the record for the world's longest nonstop solo flight, his team said. The late U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett set the previous record of 76 hours when he flew a specially-designed jet around the globe in 2006.

Image: Solar Impulse 2 nears Hawaii after record-breaking journey
A handout image provided by Solar Impulse shows the Solar Impulse 2 approaching Hawaii.REVILLARD/SOLAR IMPULSE/HANDOUT / EPA

But Borschberg flew the Solar Impulse 2 without fuel. Instead, its wings were equipped with 17,000 solar cells that powered propellers and charged batteries. The plane ran on stored energy at night.

The trans-Pacific leg was the riskiest of the plane's global travels as there was nowhere for it to land in an emergency.

The engineless aircraft landed in silence, the only sound the hum of a nearby helicopter. About 200 people, including the media, witnessed the touch-down shortly before 6 a.m.

Later in the morning, Borschberg called the flight an extraordinary experience, saying it marked historical firsts for aviation and for renewable energy.

"Nobody now can say that renewable energies cannot do the impossible," he said. The most challenging part of the journey was when he and fellow Swiss co-pilot Bertrand Piccard had to decide when exactly to leave Japan.

"You don't know if it's feasible. You don't know if it's possible. You don't know if you are going to lose the airplane," he said.

The plane's ideal flight speed is about 28 mph though that can double during the day when sun's rays are strongest. The carbon-fiber aircraft weighs over 5,000 pounds or about as much as a minivan or mid-sized truck.

The project, which began in 2002 and is estimated to cost more than $100 million, is meant to highlight the importance of renewable energy and the spirit of innovation. Solar-powered air travel is not yet commercially practical, however, given the slow travel time, weather and weight constraints of the aircraft.