Originally published on 1Sun4All.
When Bertrand Piccard landed in Chongqing, China, he made this flight Leg 5, and the 5th country Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) has visited on the 5-month, 12-stop, 35,000-km (22,000-mile) journey that is the 2015 Round-The-World attempt.
Bertrand Piccard, upon landing, declared that managing to land in such difficult conditions was extremely reassuring in view of the numerous more significant challenges that the pilots will face in the next flights of the Round-the-World tour.
Solar Impulse tweeted: “#DidYouKnow that #Chongqing is roughly the size of #Austria and 4000 times the size of #Si2? #China.”
Due to the weather conditions, Si2 has to stay in Chongqing for the next few days. There should be a weather window for André Borschberg’s Flight #6 after April 11. He will continue onward to Nanjing, China, when MCC and Mission Director, Raymond Clerc, give the green light for a takeoff from Chongqing. The flight is expected to cover about 1,190 km (642 NM, 739 miles) for an estimated time of 20 hours.
André Borschberg tweeted: “The yoga training I do with Sanjeev Bhanot from @YogalifeWorld has given me the best preparation for the #RTW.”
It is anticipated that André Borschberg will fly the zero-fuel airplane from Nanjing, China, to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, USA, the longest flight of the RTW attempt.
The CEO, project co-founder, and pilot of Solar Impulse, an engineer and former Swiss air force pilot, will fly Si2 on about 8,172 km (4,412 NM, 5,077 miles) for an estimated time of 120 hours. This is the BIG ONE! The flight across the Pacific is a feat of endurance for the pilot, and for the support teams that constantly monitor and plan for Si2’s route. Over 5 days, the pilot will head for the small target of the Hawaiian Islands.
On April 7 2010, #Si1, the prototype, made its maiden flight, lasting 87 minutes! https://t.co/VLGjPDXGo3pic.twitter.com/dpRddmxGh8
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) April 7, 2015
Join the Movement: FutureIsClean.org #FutureIsClean
You may remember on the fourth flight from Varanasi, India, to Mandalay, Myanmar, south of the Himalayas, the meeting of the jet streams could have caused difficult crosswinds for Si2. However, the tail winds caught the “fast feather flying” and pushed it to a record flying speed. Si2 was able to cruise at speeds of 117 knots. This will be confirmed by the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale).
Video Credit: SOLAR IMPULSE | Photo Credits: 2015-03-30 Solar Impulse 2 RTW 5th Flight Mandalay to Chongqing landing via Solar Impulse | Cartoon Credits: Martin Saive via Solar Impulse
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