The Solar Impulse 2 solar plane lifts off at the Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii in this April 21, 2016 file photo. (AP)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN — A solar-powered plane’s flight across the Pacific Ocean was going smoothly as it gets closer to a stop in Northern California.
The Solar Impulse 2 picked up a strong tailwind before sunset on Friday and was cruising at 150 kph, or about 93 mph. It was expected to arrive in the San Francisco Bay area by Saturday evening.
The aircraft started its around-the-world journey in March 2015 from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and made stops in Oman, Myanmar, China and Japan. It’s on the ninth leg of its circumnavigation.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard marveled from his plane as it cruised over the Pacific at about 16,000 feet with a nearly-full battery, according to the website documenting Solar Impulse 2’s journey.