A solar-powered plane on a round-the-world journey was closing in Friday on Hawaii after a record-breaking five-day flight from Japan. The Solar Impulse 2 departed Monday on the seventh and most challenging leg of its attempt to circumnavigate the globe using only the energy of the sun, dpa reported. It shattered the previous 76-hour record for the longest solo flight as it flew over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. It also broke the records for the longest distance and duration flown by a solar-powered aircraft. After covering some 8,200 kilometers over the course of 120 hours, pilot and project co-founder Andre Borschberg was expected to land the Solar Impulse 2 in Honolulu around 1600 GMT. The Solar Impulse 2 began its attempt to become the first solar-powered plane to fly around the globe in Abu Dhabi on March 9. From Hawaii the plane will continue to the continental United States and then across the country. The next leg then takes it across the Atlantic Ocean. The project has been planned for more than 12 years and aims to raise awareness of climate change and green energy solutions.
