SolarImpulse - Around The World patch.
May 22, 2016
André Borschberg has reached the city where aviation was pushed to its limits
André Borschberg landed in the birthplace of the Wright Brothers, Dayton, Ohio at 1:56 AM UTC, 3:56 AM CET on May 22nd and 9:56 PM EDT on May 21st. After spending a week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, our engineers found a clear path that will lead Si2 to New York, our goal before attempting the Atlantic Crossing.
Dayton, Ohio not only brings us a step closer to attempting the Atlantic Crossing but also marks the birthplace of an aviation revolution: the success of the first flight with a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.
This flight marks the completion of the fourth Solar Impulse mission flight this year. Despite tricky weather conditions over the United States, our mission engineers at the Mission Control Center in Monaco and the Air Traffic Control in the United States have made it possible for us to push forward in order to attempt the completion of the round-the-world solar flights.
André Borschberg completed this 16 hour and 34 minute flight, arriving with a strong tailwind that brought him to Dayton International Airport a little earlier than expected. He crossed a total distance of 1113 kilometers, flying over Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, until finally arriving in Ohio.
This was definitely a special day to fly. 89 years ago to this date, Charles Lindbergh landed in Le Bourget, Paris after being the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean, pushing the limits of aviation. Our landing in Dayton is symbolic as well since it’s home to the Wright Brothers, the birthplace of their ideas and aircraft development.
While André was flying Si2 to Ohio, Bertrand Piccard boosted ahead to Dayton International Airport with the Solar Impulse team to make sure they were prepared for another historic landing.
For more information about SolarImpulse Around The World, visit: http://blog.solarimpulse.com/
Images, Text, Credit: SolarImpulse.
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
