According to the Solar Impulse Twitter feed, André Borschberg is set to pilot the leg from Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, California to Phoenix, Arizona at 14:00 Swiss time. His colleague and honorary president of the swisscleantech business association, Betrand Piccard, piloted the leg from Hawaii to California, landing at Moffett Airfield on April 23, reports SFGATE.
The team behind the Swiss solar-powered airplane project is breaking world records on its round-the-world adventure, including the longest solo flight of any kind and the first solar flight across the Pacific Ocean. Solar Impulse 2 is powered by 17,248 solar cells, which store energy in four batteries to allow the airplane to fly at night, writes SFGATE. Overheating of the battery system grounded the solar-powered airplane in Hawaii over the winter.
The airplane, which promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency, will make several more stops in the US, including New York. It will then take off on its Atlantic crossing to return to Abu Dhabi, where it began its solar journey.