Solar Impulse 2 to make unscheduled stopover in Japan
- By: Nadia Khomami | The Guardian
- Jun 1, 2015
- 3 min read
A solar-powered plane attempting to make an unprecedented flight across the Pacific is being forced to make an unscheduled stop in Japan due to poor weather conditions.
Solar Impulse 2 is en route from China to Hawaii but will make a detour to Nagoya. It took off early on Sunday for a six-day, six-night, flight over the Pacific Ocean.
Pilot André Borschberg, 62, left Nanjing, in eastern China, at about 2.40am following extended delays due to weather-related safety concerns. The 5,270-mile (8,500km) flight would have been a record for duration by a single pilot.
Borschberg was asked to circle over the Sea of Japan while meteorologists assessed the situation. They have now decided not to proceed, and the plane is scheduled to arrive at the Komaki airfield at 1pm GMT.
Co-founder Bertrand Piccard explains why the Solar Impulse 2 stopover is necessary
Speaking to mission control in Monaco from the cockpit of the plane, the pilot said situations like this are to be expected. “Overall from the start I personally had a really wonderful time. But there is always unexpected situations, either from a technical point of view or from a weather point of view, to cope with. It’s taken 18 years to sort technical questions, whether it’s specialists trying to find the right route... so that was really a very interesting start.
“Now we face some changes so we will have to see if these changes are really important. In terms of strategy I think we’ll know more in a few hours, and to keep all the options open. I’m waiting here in the sea of Japan, and the Japanese MCC and authorities have been extremely helpful, extremely open and nice, they accommodate our wishes to have this aircraft integrated into their traffic.
“Part of the programme was to do some holding anyway. We’re doing the holding a little bit earlier than expected, but for the time being it doesn’t change anything. We need to see what the new forecast tells us.”
Bertrand Piccard, who has been watching the flight from mission control, added: “We are not daredevils, we are explorers. We have to put safety at the top of all of our priorities. Everyone is very happy with the plane - but the weather does not fit. We land in Nagoya and we wait for better conditions to continue.”
Solar Impulse 2 is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells built into wings that, at 72 metres, are almost as long as those of an Airbus A380 superjumbo.
Borschberg completed Solar Impulse 2’s first overnight leg, with the aircraft relying solely on batteries charged by the sun’s energy, but poor weather ahead threw the rest of the marathon flight into doubt.
A statement was posted on the Solar Impulse website, which helps track the flight’s journey, earlier today. It said: “Yesterday we had the possibility to cross the weather front just before Hawaii on day 5. However, with the forecasts we now have, we don’t see this possibility anymore, which means that for the moment the road to Hawaii is blocked. We need all the data from the next weather forecasts, so that our weather experts can analyse what’s going to happen in the next four to five days.
“Whilst we wait for the forecasts, we have decided to hold the position of the aircraft. We have asked André to stay where he is: it’s fine, the weather is good and the batteries are charging. During this time we will analyse where he will have to go to find a possibility to cross that front.”
The China to Hawaii journey is the seventh and most challenging leg of the attempt to circumnavigate the world using just the energy of the Sun. Solar Impulse 2, which is covered in 17,000 solar cells, took off from Abu Dhabi in March. It has since stopped in Oman, India, Myanmar and China.
Source: Theguardian.com
