First round the world solar flight

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Tokyo (AFP) - A solar-powered aircraft flying between Japan and Hawaii as part of a round-the-world bid passed the halfway point of the perilous Pacific Ocean crossing Wednesday, and smashed its own endurance record.

Solar Impulse 2 had travelled 50 percent of the way to the tropical US state by 0300 GMT, having flown 3,887 kilometres (2,415 miles) with 3,848 kilometres more to go, according to the project.

By that time, the plane and its veteran Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg had logged 56 hours of continuous flight -- easily bettering the previous record of 44 hours they had set between China and Japan.

"Already halfway through what is probably the flight of my life! Loving it!," Borschberg tweeted from the cockpit.

The eighth leg of the global circumnavigation is expected to take five days and five nights, and was billed as the most difficult part of the adventure.

LIVE FEED
http://www.solarimpulse.com/sitv

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Andre Borschberg is still up there

Solar Impulse breaks record for non-stop solo flight
Solar powered plane flies for more than 100 hours across the Pacific on its way from Japan to Hawaii during its global journey

Veteran Swiss aviator Andre Borschberg, who has spent more than four days flying from Japan in the Solar Impulse 2, is expected to land on the Pacific US island state on Friday if all goes well.

“After the longest and most tiring night of this flight, bringing the pilot and aircraft to the limits, Andre is now back under the oceanic sunlight,” mission organisers said.

By 0200 GMT the plane had travelled 91% of the way to Hawaii, having flown 7,471km (4,642 miles) and had a few hundred kilometres to go.

Earlier it crossed a cold weather front before Hawaii, which organisers described as “jumping over the wall” before the final stretch towards the Pacific archipelago.

Before that hurdle organizers had tweeted “@andreborschberg is tired. W/ turbulence at 8’000 feet & a cold front close, SITUATION IS DIFFICULT.”

But later came the celebratory tweet, saying the plane had “successfully crossed the second & last front separating him from Hawaii! Everybody clap your hands!”

The pioneering plane is due to land Friday morning local time at Kalaeloa airport on the main Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The organizers’ latest estimate for arrival was 1600 GMT, although that could change depending on conditions.

Borschberg earlier clocked up more than 100 hours in the air – suprassing the previous longest solo endurance flight by Steve Fossett, who flew for 76 hours and 45 minutes in 2006.

The whole trip from Japan to Hawaii was expected to take 120 hours.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

4 hrs till touch down

LIVE FEED starting now
http://www.solarimpulse.com/rtw

 

[Schmuckley]

They do have 2 pilots, right?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

1hr 51 mins to go

LIVE FEED

http://www.solarimpulse.com/rtw

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Arrival in Hawaii

Solar Impulse touches down in Hawaii after record-breaking flight

Departure to Pheonix hasnt been announced yet, expected to be 2 /3 days from now.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I imagine first order of business is a 24 hour power-nap!

 

[dorsetknob]

I imagine first order of business is a 24 hour power-nap!

That would be the Second order of business
first order of business is a Vist to the bog/dunny/thunderbox/toilet and not using this

 

[Steevo]

What are all the yellow lines going back and forth by Hawaii?

 

[RCoon]

What are all the yellow lines going back and forth by Hawaii?

Possibly taking advantage of rising thermals to increase height/speed. Just a guess though.

 

[rtwjunkie]

What are all the yellow lines going back and forth by Hawaii?

I'm going to guess that they tried to maintain position to land at dawn, maybe not equipped for night landings?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

What are all the yellow lines going back and forth by Hawaii?

both of the above. He also had to wait for a suitable slot as the runway was closed for quite a while to facilitate the landing.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Some news we didnt want to hear, keep your fingers crossed for the team.

The solar-powered plane that made history crossing the Pacific last week may have to wait until next year to complete its mission to fly round the world, the project’s founder said yesterday.

Bertrand Piccard said the days were getting shorter after the single-seat Solar Impulse had to wait seven weeks for weather to clear in China then Japan. It now had little time to fly from New York to Europe and on to Abu Dhabi in August.

BOLLOCKS !!!!

 

[rtwjunkie]

Some news we didnt want to hear, keep your fingers crossed for the team.

The solar-powered plane that made history crossing the Pacific last week may have to wait until next year to complete its mission to fly round the world, the project’s founder said yesterday.

Bertrand Piccard said the days were getting shorter after the single-seat Solar Impulse had to wait seven weeks for weather to clear in China then Japan. It now had little time to fly from New York to Europe and on to Abu Dhabi in August.

BOLLOCKS !!!!

Not quite understanding what the problem is. It's still high summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Plenty of daylight. Also, when one hears about a 'round the world trip, one tends to think "straight through", or something relatively speaking like that (Around the World in Eighty Days)....not finishing the second half a year later.

 

[Steevo]

As interesting as it is I would still like to see a nuclear RTG/Stirling engine driven plane do it.

No need for heavy batteries, alpha particles are shielded by the cooling fins and the plutonium oxide pellets are virtually indestructible.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

there never was a timescale, it isnt a race,

Solar Impulse 1 over San Francisco Bay

Weather patterns over the Atlantic are the major issue i think, though there isnt much information at the moment.
I predict a press release soon

 

[dorsetknob]

As interesting as it is I would still like to see a nuclear RTG/Stirling engine driven plane do it.

No need for heavy batteries, alpha particles are shielded by the cooling fins and the plutonium oxide pellets are virtually indestructible.

you need a reality check

Look at the number of nations that Ban Nuclear powered ships from their waters and ports
Do you think that they would allow an experimental Nuclear powered Aircraft to overfly or land in their Country.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I understand THEY didn't have a timescale, but let's be honest, it's kind of a misleading misnomer to call your trip an around the world flight if it takes say...365 days, don't you think? It does lead people to imagine something that it isn't. Historically, in mankind's feats of this sort, they have always either been about time or endurance.

They could technically relax in the Hawaiian paradise watching whales and sipping drinks on the beach for the next ten years and THEN continue, the way they have publicized the event. And in their mind they would not have lied.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

i'm with @Steevo on this, we know it would be controlled and safe, lets push the envelope.

@rtwjunkie one of the main aims of the project was to raise awareness of the potential, the stopovers are part of the plan and school groups and media events are a big part of the mission.
http://www.futureisclean.org/


I dont care when they finish, i just want them to do it.

 

[Steevo]

Plutonium pellets are safe, and if you could stand the heat they emit you could hold one in your hand.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

It's no longer safe to say that the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft will make it around the world before 2015 draws to a close. The crew is now warning that its sun-powered machine won't fly the next leg of its journey (from Hawaii to Arizona) for at least two to three weeks due to severe heat-related battery damage. While that's not the biggest setback the team could face, it could trigger a domino effect. If SI2 doesn't get to the Eastern side of the US in time, it may miss the weather window it needs to get across the Atlantic this year. You'll find out more about the extent of the problem in the next few days, so it should soon be clear whether this is just a momentary obstacle or a serious showstopper.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Disappointing news.

Solar Impluse inbound to Kalaeloa Airport after its record-breaking Pacific crossing.

The Swiss team trying to fly a solar-powered plane around the world has abandoned its effort for this year.
Its Solar Impulse vehicle's batteries were damaged on the last leg of the journey from Japan to Hawaii and will take several months to repair.

The aircraft will be kept at its Pacific stop-over at Kalaeloa airport while the maintenance is undertaken.

Once the work is done there will be some test flights before the global quest resumes in 2016, the team says.

That is likely to be in April, and would see Solar Impulse fly from Hawaii to the West Coast of the US.

It should then have a sizeable weather window to try to cross America, the Atlantic, and make its way back to Abu Dhabi, UAE, where the circumnavigation began in March this year.

The suspension will be a disappointment but the project has already met a number of its key objectives.

Pilot Andre Borschberg smashed aviation records when he steered Solar Impulse from Nagoya to Kalaeloa at the beginning of the month.

Flying just on the power of the Sun, he completed the 7,200km in 118 hours.

Not only did this set several new marks for manned solar aeroplanes, but it surpassed with ease the absolute aviation record for the longest duration solo flight in an un-refuelled vehicle.

However, in achieving this mammoth feat, Mr Borschberg's plane experienced damaging overheating in its lithium-ion battery system. Although the battery units performed as expected, they had too much insulation around them, making temperature management very difficult.

Engineers on the project have not been able to make the quick repairs that might allow Solar Impulse to have a crack at completing the round-the-world journey this year.

The University of Hawaii and the US Department of Transportation have agreed to continue to host the aeroplane in a large hangar at Kalaeloa airport while the maintenance proceeds.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The sun-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 has made a successful test flight in Hawaii, where it has been grounded for repairs on its round-the-world trek, the Swiss-based project said Saturday.
"The first Solar Impulse 2 maintenance flight took place on Friday 26 of February (and) was uneventful. The plane took off from Kalaeloa airport at 4:32PM UTC [GMT] with our test pilot, Markus Scherdel, in the cockpit, and landed at 6:05PM UTC," it said on its blog.
Lasting an hour and a half and reaching an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 metres), the flight enabled technicians to run checks on the stabilisation and cooling system, "which both performed superbly," the project said.
The plane completed nearly half of an unprecedented round-the-world journey without using a drop of fuel before battery damage during a gruelling five-day leg from Japan to Hawaii in July forced its grounding.
On December 20, Solar Impulse spokeswoman Alexandra Gindroz told AFP that, after securing funds to complete the repairs and finance the next phase of operations, the plane would be ready to fly again by April 20.
The aircraft took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 9, powered by 17,000 solar cells, with the aim of promoting renewable energy through a round-the-world flight.
Pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard have divided the flying throughout the groundbreaking project.

 

[Steevo]

you need a reality check

Look at the number of nations that Ban Nuclear powered ships from their waters and ports
Do you think that they would allow an experimental Nuclear powered Aircraft to overfly or land in their Country.

Still looking for that list......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_decay
"Alpha decay is much more easily shielded against than other forms of radioactive decay. Plutonium-238, for example, requires only 2.5 millimetres of lead shielding to protect against unwanted radiation"

Some "nuclear batteries" were using in pacemakers.



Back to topic, its still an interesting idea and while I still think its a waste of time and resources to do, I am sure the actions will spark future attempts with much better efficiency and reliability.

http://www.gizmag.com/new-method-cheap-spray-on-solar/35100/

I haven't heard much about this since the first articles, the ability to spray on solar would revolutionize the industry if they could make it cheap, durable, and close to as efficient.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The experimental Solar Impulse 2 took off 6:30 a.m. Monday from Kalaeloa Airport for a training flight.
If everything goes to plan, the plane could depart as early as April 15