Solar Impulse Launches U.S. Cross-Country Flight

The team will spend several days in Phoenix showing off the unique airplane to local residents and recovering from the long journey. A company representative said the team generally works for about 30 hours straight during a flight of this magnitude, in addition to long hours before and after the flight.

Piccard and the co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, will take turns flying the five planned legs across the country. The team plans to depart sometime in mid-May — the exact date is weather dependent — and fly to Dallas/Fort Worth. Remaining stops include St. Louis, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and New York. Plans are for the journey to be completed sometime in early July.

The flight also launched the team’s “Clean Generation” initiative, which promotes the innovation of sustainable energy production and use.

“We’ve been dreaming about crossing the United States for years — the land of scientific research, innovation and aviation pioneers — and it’s hard to believe it’s really happening,” said Borschberg and Piccard.

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