The most dangerous phase of a historic solar-powered flight should come to an end Friday — that is, if the Solar Impulse 2, the experimental plane attempting to fly around the world without a single drop of fuel, manages to land safely in Hawaii.
After weeks of weather delays, pilot André Borschberg set off Sunday from Japan on a journey of more than 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean.
If all goes to plan, he is expected to touch down as scheduled at noon ET in Hawaii after some 120 hours in the air, running on solar power only.
The aircraft is currently in a holding pattern, according to the Solar Impulse team’s Twitter feed, which described seeing the first glimpse of the plane’s landing lights in the skies above Hawaii as a “very emotional moment.”
Borschberg’s family and co-pilot Bertrand Piccard are among those waiting at Kalaeloa Airport, on the island of Oahu, for the plane’s arrival.
The plane has left a rain shower behind, and “weather conditions should be good for the landing,” the team said in an earlier post.
The Solar Impulse team says it scheduled the journey, which began in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in March and was meant to end by July, to maximize the amount of daylight.
This is key because the top of the plane’s wings and fuselage are covered with more than 17,000 solar cells. Gathering the sun’s rays during the day allows the Solar Impulse to fly continuously through the night on battery power, typically at a speed no faster than a car.
The official website offers a live video feed from the cockpit.
If he succeeds, Borschberg — and his partner Piccard, who’s been sharing flying duties along the route — will be the first aviators in history to fly a plane around the world powered only by solar energy.
Posting on his own Twitter feed, Borschberg reflected on the challenges of the latest solo leg.
“During the fourth day I felt very tired, having climbed the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest four times,” he said, adding that it was hard to keep his energy in balance with that of the plane.