Solar Impulse flew Monday 2 toward Hawaii, above Pacific after taking off on the sly Japan where it was blocked by weather for nearly a month, to continue its solar energy challenge around the world.
“Now in flight to Hawaii. very strong emotions because I have passed the point of no return: exploration begins here, “tweeted his driver, Switzerland André Borschberg, 62.
The point of no return is when the airplane is no a priori able to turn around.
“No turning back. It’s a way to Hawaii,” said his side the Solar Impulse team on its website ten hours after takeoff.
The revolutionary aircraft flew from Nagoya (center) at 3:03 local (6:03 p.m. GMT). It travels at about 110 km / h above the Pacific Ocean and plans to climb to 8,500 meters. It is well on the way to Hawaii.
” During the first ten hours of flight, we had technical problems. We finally took the risk to go on. And we have passed the point of no return, and we said OK, we’ll fly to Hawaii ” , told AFP the second Swiss driver alternately, Bertrand Piccard.
“We have good weather. So we are confident that window,” he insisted.
The biggest challenge was to locate a “corridor” to cross a dense rain front that goes roughly from Taiwan to Alaska.
– Bypassing the clouds –
According to the flight plan filed with the Japanese authorities, Solar Impulse is supposed to “go first south and then east before returning to Northern avoiding clouds. “
” He will therefore not pass through in a straight line, it makes a curve to the north. But even by following this path, we can reach Hawaii in five days ” said Mr Piccard.
2 Solar Impulse had to abort its flight between Nanjing (Eastern China) and Hawaii because of bad weather and had landed in Japan in the night of 1 to 2 June
He had long hoped to leave several times, but the rainy season and a thick brow in the rain prevented until Sunday.
The initial decision was very difficult to take given many technical parameters.
” It is extremely difficult to predict the weather on a five-day horizon, “stressed repeatedly the team, taking his pain with patience.
However, the aircraft had only one period limited time, until August 5, to be able to embark on the voyage of a milking 7900 km between Hawaii and Nagoya, because of the conditions in which the unit is to fly.
Fragile it supports neither too hot weather nor rain nor disturbance.
Although it is on track, Solar Impulse is not immune to a technical accident. Ultimately, André Borschberg has a parachute and may pop out over the ocean.
“He will then inflate the life raft and wait for a plane gives him additional means for survival. He can stay on this great raft for maybe three days until a the rescue ship comes, “has assured Bertrand Piccard.
– ‘A feat never achieved’ –
According to organizers, “André will venture into the unknown this flight will be demanding and challenging especially in light of its duration: nearly 120 hours with solar energy only. It is a feat never achieved before in the world of aviation “.
The pilot carefully prepared for this test of endurance, as his alter ego Bertrand Piccard, each having developed his method.
“The goal is to feel comfortable to be able to accept mentally, and even love, to be in the cockpit during a long period,” he told André Borschberg.
“We sleep for periods of 20 minutes, and as this is not enough, I use techniques of yoga and meditation, self-hypnosis and my partner, to relax us,” t- he said, seeming to enjoy his live alone in his cramped cabin.
2 Solar Impulse, whose wings are covered with photovoltaic cells, had previously been blocked more than a month in China by poor conditions climate.
The flight departed on March 9 Abu Dhabi to a world tour of 35,000 kilometers to promote the use of renewable energy, particularly solar energy.
6/29/2015 10:40:29 – Tokyo (AFP) – By Karyn Nishimura-DOLL, Harumi Ozawa – AFP © 2015
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