MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are the founders of the Solar Impulse project and both are taking turns piloting the single-seater SI-2 during the round-the-world flight, which started in March with the plane’s departure from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
"This flight will bring Solar Impulse over the Statue of Liberty to New York City, with a final landing at JFK [airport]. Over the past month, Solar Impulse 2 has crossed the United States, the land of pioneers — flying over the Golden Gate Bridge and now we will finally be flying over the Statue of Liberty," Solar Impulse said on its live broadcast and flight map page.
BREAKING @andreborschberg takes off from Lehigh Valley to #NYC! @StatueEllisNPS here we come in 2h! #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/KBpT5vXPBS
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) June 11, 2016
The plane departed for the 14th leg of its flight from Lehigh Valley in the US state of Pennsylvania late on Friday (03:18 GMT on Saturday).
"André Borschberg will take the airplane to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, a stretch that Bertrand Piccard will soon attempt to cross," Solar Impulse said on its updates page.
SI-2 is expected to return to Abu Dhabi after reaching New York.
LIVE on #Periscope: From Manhattan getting ready to follow #Si2 from a speed boat at the #StatueofLiberty https://t.co/mxpZfwN73s
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) June 11, 2016
SI-2 can reach a maximum speed of 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour. Its wingspan is 72 meters (236 feet) and the weight is only 2,300 kilograms, or 5,070 pounds, equivalent to that of a car. The plane is powered by sun energy collected by over 17,200 solar cells covering its wings, fuselage and tailplane.
The aircraft's prototype is Solar Impulse 1, which was used by Borschberg to conduct the world's first ever manned 26-hour solar-powered flight in July, 2010.
