×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Smart Minds Choose Us
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download App

Solar-powered plane breaks solo flight record across Pacific to Hawaii

Swiss pilot Boschberg sits in the cockpit of Solar Impulse 2 plane as staff pull the plane out to the tarmac for take-off at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport. (Photo:Reuters)

A Swiss man attempting to circumnavigate the globe with an aircraft powered only by the sun's energy has broken a world record for the longest non-stop solo flight, the project team said on Thursday.

The Solar Impulse, which took off from Japan on Monday on the seventh leg of its journey and is expected to land in Hawaii early on Friday, shattered the solo-flight record threshold of 76 hours while crossing the Pacific.

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.
Uncover the stories others won’t tell. Subscribe now for exclusive access
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimized reading experience
  • Weekly Newsletters
  • MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted
Already a subscriber? Log in