Solar Impulse pilot and co-founder André Borschberg departed Washington D.C. this morning and is on his way to New York City right now in an airplane powered entirely by the sun. The flight is the final leg of Solar Impulse's Across America flight that started back on May 3 in San Francisco. At 3:00 p.m. EDT today we will be moderating a live Google Hangout with Borschberg in the cockpit, along with fellow pilot and co-founder Bertrand Piccard on the ground in New York to discuss their pioneering flight. Joining us in "A Flying Hangout to Meet Pioneers" will be film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron, pilot and electric aviation advocate Erik Lindbergh (Charles' grandson), and rock-jazz pianist ELEW.
The Solar Impulse plane has flown more than 3,000 miles since departing San Francisco. The albatross-like airplane made stops in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati and the penultimate stop in D.C. before today's final flight to New York.
Back in May we had a chance to talk with the two pilots about what it is like to fly the massive solar powered airplane. With a 747-like wingspan of 208 feet, but a weight of just 3,547 pounds, the airplane requires a unique piloting method and we can't wait to hear what it's been like to fly across the country.
The flight not only marks the end of the Across America trip, but it is also the last scheduled flight for the Solar Impulse airplane known by its Swiss identifier, HB-SIA. The team is already at work building its sun-powered successor, the aptly named HB-SIB. Borschberg and Piccard plan to fly the new plane a bit further than across America, HB-SIB is being designed for a solar powered flight around the world scheduled for 2015.
Be sure to join in on the Google Hangout today at 3:00 p.m. EDT and hear straight from the pilots as they prepare to touch down in New York on their final leg of an epic trip across the country.
