Strange as it may sound, a solar-powered plane had flown over half the Pacific Ocean before a battery-powered one crossed the English Channel for the first time, and it’s already sustained enough damage to require serious repair.
The Solar Impulse 2, an aircraft that runs completely on solar power, landed in Hawaii on July 3, five days after its departure from Japan—setting a record, at 4,000 miles, for the longest distance traveled by a solar-powered aircraft without stopping. It accomplished the feat a full week before the first battery-powered plane flew across the 30-milewide body of water between England and France.
