Solar Impulse 2 has touched down in Dayton, Ohio, on the latest leg of its global circumnavigation flight. With André Borschberg at the controls, the single-seater solar-powered aircraft landed at Dayton International Airport at 9:56 pm EDT after 16 hours and 34 minutes in the air. This is the fourth flight of the Solar 2 this year and the 12th leg of its round-the-world mission that began in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
After only a week's stay at Tulsa International Airport, the Solar Impulse 2 team took advantage of a break in the weather over the US Midwest to make a one-day, 1,210 km (752 mi) hop to Dayton. The aircraft took off before dawn at 4:22 am MT, monitored by Mission Control in Monaco and Air Traffic Control in the United States. A favorable tailwind took almost half an hour off the expected flight time.
Solar Impulse 2's around the world flight began in March 2015, when it took off from Abu Dhabi. After a record-breaking Pacific Ocean crossing, it was grounded in Hawaii for several months due to battery damage caused by overheating, but resumed its journey in April of this year and reached California on April after a 62-hour flight.
Solar Impulse 2 will continue on to New York, followed by a transatlantic crossing to Europe or North Africa before making its way back to its starting point.
Source: Solar Impulse
