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New York / Bloomberg
Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg postponed a flight of his solar aircraft around the Statue of Liberty due to gusty winds.
The Solar Impulse project, which is flying an ultralight one-man aircraft around the world, will announce a new flight date later, according to its website. Borschberg, 63, had planned to take off in the fuel-free vehicle from Allentown, Pennsylvania, at midnight, and head for New York for a 2 a.m. approach of the city’s most famous monument.
The former Swiss airforce pilot has been taking turns with flying partner and hot-air balloon adventurer Bertrand Piccard, 58, in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe using solar energy.
After being grounded nine months in Hawaii because the batteries overheated, Solar Impulse resumed its journey in April and has made stops in San Francisco; Phoenix; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Dayton, Ohio; and Allentown.
Solar Impulse began its journey from Abu Dhabi in March 2015. This is one of the shortest legs of the journey, though Borschberg said it’s one of the most complicated because of coastal winds and the amount of commercial air traffic around New York.