Andre Borscheberg is excited for his next solo mission, which will take him from China to Hawaii in five ays and five nights using a solar-powered plane to cross the Pacific Ocean. The plane will be powered by 17,000 solar cells and will make use of recharged batteries at night, according to a report from Yahoo Tech.
In order to work, the plane will be flying at 9,000 meters (29,500 feet) in the daytime so that it can gather ideal sunlight and recharge the batteries. By nighttime, the plane will be flying at a lower altitude of 1,000 meters (3,000 feet). The pilot will be feeling temperatures between 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Last March, Borscheberg succeeded in flying the plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse 2. He flew to Abu Dhabi and made stopovers at India, Myanmar and Oman during his trips. The attempted course from China to Hawaii will be the longest flight the Solar Impulse 2 has taken since this project started. It's also the seventh of 12 flights planned. Once reaching Hawaii, the pilot plans to fly across the Atlantic Ocean next.
"It's the most challenging, yes, in the sense that we never flew over the oceans," said Borschberg in an interview before leaving China.
"There are of course also question marks with the type of airplane we have, is it capable to fly solo with this type of energy, and of course the challenge is on the pilot side as well ... can I stay alert for this leg and be able to pilot this airplane, can I keep my energy at the right level, can I keep my spirits, my mindset to get this airplane to Hawaii."
Borscheberg and his back-up pilot, Bertrand Piccard, are taking turns handling the single-seater plane during their five-month attempt. The Swiss nationals would like to show the world that renewable energy source is also possible with flying airplanes during long flights.
Borscheberg has had experience flying military jets in his 25 years as a pilot for the Swiss army.
