Touchdown: Solar plane ends journey, lands in the Big Apple

This May 22, 2013 file photo shows the Solar Impulse, piloted by André Borschberg, taking flight, at dawn, from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. / AP
This May 22, 2013 file photo shows the Solar Impulse, piloted by André Borschberg, taking flight, at dawn, from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. / AP

The Associated Press

A solar-powered aircraft completed the final leg of a history-making cross-country flight Saturday night, gliding to a smooth stop at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Solar Impulse touched down at JFK at 11:09 p.m., completing the final leg of the cross-continental journey that started in California in early May. For Saturday’s final leg, the aircraft left Dulles International Airport a little before 5 a.m.

The flight plan for the revolutionary plane, powered by some 11,000 solar cells on its oversized wings, had called for it to pass the Statue of Liberty before landing early Sunday at New York. But an unexpected tear discovered on the left wing of the aircraft Saturday afternoon forced officials to scuttle the fly-by and proceed directly to JFK for a landing three hours earlier than scheduled.

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If you’d like to discuss energy issues, contact Court Rich, Co-Chair of Rose Law Group’s Renewable Energy Department at crich@roselawgroup.com

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