Solar Impulse getting ready for New York - AVweb

Solar Impulse Next Stop: New York

By Mary Grady

As soon as the weather window looks favorable, Solar Impulse pilot Andre Borschberg plans to depart from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and fly about 100 miles to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, according to the support team. The flight path will provide several opportunities along the way for New Yorkers to catch a glimpse of the unique solar-powered aircraft. The plan is for Solar Impulse to cross over the Verrazano Bridge at an altitude of 1,500 feet, at about 5:10 a.m. on the day of the flight. The airplane will then fly over the Statue of Liberty and continue east above Brooklyn on its way to JFK. Liberty State Park, in New Jersey, Battery Park in Manhattan, and several other sites along the coast will provide views of the flight, according to the Solar Impulse team. After the landing in JFK, pilot Bertrand Piccard will fly the next leg, across the Atlantic, when the weather provides an adequate window. Since crossing the Pacific and landing in California, the airplane has landed in Phoenix, Tulsa, and Dayton. The global flight began more than a year ago, in Abu Dhabi, and the team plans to return there later this summer. New Yorkers who want to see the airplane can sign up online to get advance notice of the takeoff.