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Solar Impulse lands in California after Pacific crossing | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The solar-powered aeroplane Solar Impulse has landed in Silicon Valley, California, after a three-day flight over the Pacific Ocean. | |
High winds delayed the landing at Moffett Airfield, Mountain View, as pilot Bertrand Piccard flew in a holding pattern off the coast. | |
The plane left Hawaii on Thursday, after eight months of repairs following battery damage on a flight from Japan. | |
This is the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world. | This is the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world. |
Solar Impulse started its journey last March in Abu Dhabi. The trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs. | |
Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun, and has 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its top surfaces. | |
These power the craft's propellers during the day but also charge batteries that the vehicle's motors can then call on during the night. | |
The distance on this leg was 4,000km or 2,200 nautical miles. | The distance on this leg was 4,000km or 2,200 nautical miles. |
Starting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March, Solar Impulse crossed Oman, India, Myanmar, and China. | Starting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March, Solar Impulse crossed Oman, India, Myanmar, and China. |
It then flew to Japan, before undertaking a 8,924km passage to Hawaii. That five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey. | |
However, the vehicle's batteries overheated during the trip, forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted. | |
A further 20m euros (£16m; $23m) had to be raised from supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year. | A further 20m euros (£16m; $23m) had to be raised from supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year. |
Mr Piccard shares flying duties with his business partner, Andre Borschberg. | |
It was Mr Borschberg who flew into Kalaeloa last July, and he will take the controls on the next leg across the US mainland. | |
The pair's intention is to reach New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for an Atlantic crossing. | The pair's intention is to reach New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for an Atlantic crossing. |
Assuming this is completed successfully, it should then be a relatively straightforward run back to the "finish line" in Abu Dhabi. | Assuming this is completed successfully, it should then be a relatively straightforward run back to the "finish line" in Abu Dhabi. |
Mr Piccard and Mr Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. | |
The plane's wingspan is wider than a 747 jumbo jet, and yet it weighs only 2.3 tonnes. | |
Because the prop-driven craft moves so slowly, mission legs can take several days and nights of continuous flight. | Because the prop-driven craft moves so slowly, mission legs can take several days and nights of continuous flight. |
This means the pilot has to stay alert for nearly all of the time the plane is airborne - they are permitted only catnaps of up to 20 minutes, in the same way a single-handed, round-the-world yachtsman would catch small periods of sleep. | |
They also have to endure the physical discomfort of being confined in a cockpit that measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume - not a lot bigger than a public telephone box. | They also have to endure the physical discomfort of being confined in a cockpit that measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume - not a lot bigger than a public telephone box. |
But Mr Borschberg says the experience so far has been exhilarating. | |
"An experimental plane is a living creation," he told BBC News. "Each flight you do brings new learning that you can use to improve the quality, reliability and performance of the aeroplane." | "An experimental plane is a living creation," he told BBC News. "Each flight you do brings new learning that you can use to improve the quality, reliability and performance of the aeroplane." |
LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute | LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute |
LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes | LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes |
LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes | LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes |
LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes |
LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes |
LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes | LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes |
LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes | LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes |
LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes | LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes |
LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) to Mountain View, California (USA) - 4,200km | LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) to Mountain View, California (USA) - 4,200km |