KAPOLEI, Hawaii — A plane powered by the sun’s rays has landed in Hawaii after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan.
Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat solar aircraft arrived Friday at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu, after taking off from Nagoya about 120 hours ago.
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His team says his trip broke the record for the world’s longest nonstop solo flight. The late U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett set the previous record of 76 hours.
But the Solar Impulse 2 is flying without fuel. Instead, it’s 17,000 solar cells charge batteries. The plane runs on stored energy at night. Borschberg and co-pilot Bertrand Piccard have been taking turns flying the plane on an around-the-world voyage since taking off from Abu Dhabi in March. After Hawaii, it will head to Phoenix.
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