The Solar Impulse 2 solar plane is moved out of the hangar to prepare for a dawn lift off at the Kalaeloa Airport, Thursday, April 21, 2016, in Kapolei, Hawaii. The solar-powered plane that has been grounded in Hawaii since July plans to resume its round-the-world voyage on Thursday. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
The Latest on a solar plane flying from Hawaii to California (all times local):
4:50 a.m.
The Solar Impulse team is delaying their solar-powered plane’s departure from Hawaii while they wait for the wind to subside.
The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 is heading for California as part of its circumnavigation of the globe using only energy from the sun. The aircraft took off in March from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The team has until 6:30 a.m. to leave the hangar and still be able to take advantage of a full day’s sun.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu says winds at the airport are variable, which is about as light as they will get. They expect the winds to pick up slightly in the coming hours as the sun comes up.
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4:40 a.m.
Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard has suited up for his three-day voyage from Hawaii to California in a solar plane.
The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 is preparing to leave Hawaii on Thursday to continue its circumnavigation of the globe using only energy from the sun.
Piccard’s co-pilot Andre Borschberg, who flew the leg from Japan to Hawaii, told Piccard he greatly admires his dedication and strength.
He said the plane “represents what we could do on the ground in our communities, in our cities.”
Piccard said the idea of crossing the ocean in a solar powered plane a few years ago stressed him out, but this morning he was confident things would go according to plan.
Piccard also said the flight’s destination, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is fitting. He said on his way to the airfield that when the plane lands there, it will land “in the middle of the pioneering spirit.”
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4 a.m.
A pilot is preparing to take off for a flight from Hawaii to California with no jet fuel aboard his plane.
The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 is preparing to leave Hawaii on Thursday to continue its circumnavigation of the globe using only energy from the sun. The crew landed on Oahu last July but was forced to stay in the islands after the plane’s battery system sustained heat damage on its trip from Japan.
The plane, now preparing for the ninth leg of its journey, plans to finish its trip across the Pacific and land in Mountain View, California, in about three days.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
