Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg will complete the five-day journey from China to Hawaii on his own. Amit Dave / Reuters
Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg will complete the five-day journey from China to Hawaii on his own. Amit Dave / Reuters

Seventh leg looms large for Solar Impulse team



Later this week, pilot Andre Borschberg will attempt to fly five consecutive days from China to Hawaii on zero-fuel and almost as little sleep.

Some time after Tuesday, Solar Impulse is set to take off from Nanjing on the seventh leg of an attempt to circumnavigate the Earth, an 8,172-kilometre journey across the Pacific Ocean that will take at least 120 hours, depending on the weather.

Mr Borschberg will fly the entire five days solo, with sporadic 20-minute naps.

Bertrand Piccard, co-founder and the other pilot involved with the project, will fly ahead of Mr Borschberg to prepare the rest of the team for the second crossing of the Pacific, from Hawaii to Phoenix, Arizona.

The Masdar-sponsored plane is capable of flying as long as there is sunshine. However, the pilots must have food, water, oxygen and, crucially, sleep.

“We have an aeroplane that is completely sustainable in terms of energy, the question is with only one pilot on the plane, we need to make him sustainable as well,” Mr Borschberg said in January.

He plans to use self-hypnosis and yoga to maximise his resting time during conditions that will vary from 30°C to -20°C. The food the pilots will eat was developed specifically to withstand extreme temperatures while also providing the necessary nutrients during the longer legs of the trip.

Mr Borschberg will eat 2.4 kilograms of Nestle-prepared food and drink 2.5 litres of water per day.

Solar Impulse took off from Abu Dhabi on March 9.

nalwasmi@thenational.ae

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