After nearly nine months on the ground, a solar-powered plane will return to the skies. The Solar Impulse 2 will continue its flight around the world, possibly as early as April 15th. HPR’s Molly Solomon visited Kalaeloa Airport for a test flight and has this report.
At an altitude of more than 7,000 feet, pilot Andre Borshberg glides the solar plane over parts of west O‘ahu early one morning. It was the first time he’s returned to the cockpit since last July, when he made history flying solo from Japan to Honolulu, a nearly 118-hour trip.
Crew members on the ground break into applause, as Borschberg comes in for a soft landing. “It’s fantastic to be back in this airplane because you create such a relationship,” said Borschberg. “It’s not an airplane anymore, it’s more than that. It’s a partner with whom I traveled over the ocean. That’s very special.”
The aircraft was grounded last summer after its batteries overheated during the five day flight to Hawai‘i. The batteries are a crucial part of the Solar Impulse 2. They store the energy collected from the sun during the day to power the plane through the night. Since then, new technology has been installed, including a battery cooling system. “We saw that we need this device because we need the flexibility it provides,” Borschberg explained. “We have tested it and are slowly getting ready for the next leg and the next step.”
Borschberg is splitting the flying with Bertrand Piccard, but each pilot is alone inflight —the cockpit only has room for one. Piccard will take over and fly the next leg from Hawai‘i to Phoenix, Arizona. “You need to train technically and you need to train psychologically,” said Piccard who expects the next leg to take three or four days. “It’s a way of life, not only a way of piloting.” Both Piccard and Borschberg will continue test flights until the plane’s departure in a couple weeks.
