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 on Friday at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu after taking off from Nagoya about 120 hours ago.
But the Solar Impulse 2 is flying without fuel. Instead, it’s 17,000 solar cells charge batteries. Mr. 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.
Mr. Borschberg broke the record for the longest non-stop solo flight on the way to Hawaii, the team organizing the trip said. He shattered the previous record set by the late U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett, who flew around the world in 76 hours in a specially designed jet in 2006.
“Can you imagine that a solar-powered airplane without fuel can now fly longer than a jet plane?” Mr. Piccard said in a statement.
“This is a clear message that clean technologies can achieve impossible goals.”
The plane began its global voyage in Abu Dhabi in March. It has stopped in Oman, India, Myanmar, China and Japan in the months since.
