Solar Impulse 2 Has Been Diverted to Nagoya Japan (Video)
Originally published on 1Sun4All.
Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) just released the news that André Borschberg will be landing in Nagoya, Japan, due to weather conditions. You can read all the information from the Si2 team below:
Unfortunately, the current weather window to reach Hawaii has closed.
The cold front is too dangerous to cross, so we have decided to land in Nagoya Airfield, also known as Komaki Airport, and wait for better weather conditions in order to continue.
The pilot and the aircraft are safe, and safety is the priority. For the next few hours, André will continue to fly at a high altitude, the batteries are full and we have very good conditions for an evening landing; we could even hold for a couple of hours for clearance to land.
It’s a delay that is disappointing to us but, on the other hand, we are extremely happy with the performance of the aircraft. André’s flight will have lasted around 40 hours and this will be the longest flight ever made by a solar-powered airplane in terms of both duration and distance.
The airplane has perfectly undertaken its first ever day-and-night cycle and in this regard the flight is already a success.
It’s just the weather that doesn’t fit. Everything we could control has been done to our satisfaction.
We are thankful to the Japanese authorities who have been very flexible and supportive in helping us in coordinating this unexpected setback.
It’s part of the adventure and we accept it.
Bertrand Piccard tweeted earlier: “For @andreborschberg and I, one of the most important moments of our lives is at stake tonight @solarimpulse.”
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Video, Photo and Cartoon Credits: Solar Impulse
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