The 2013 Across America mission that kicked off on May 3^rd from Moffett Airfield (CA) and which is meant to bring the solar airplane to Washington D.C. and New York City in five stopovers has turned out to be more challenging than expected. The extraordinary weather conditions that have characterized this spring all around the Midwest have caused Solar Impulse to confront itself with situations never experienced before.

Watch this video to better understand the decision-making mechanisms within the team: how pilots, Mission Control Center, and meteorologists interact and decide if a flight is “go” or “no go”. The flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor (AZ) to Dallas Fort Worth (TX) – which was also a distance world record in the solar airplane category - was particularly difficult due to the strong headwinds. Because of the lightweight of the airplane, the 25 knot winds André experienced caused him to land sideways, sometime flying at zero groundspeed. 

André and Bertrand are going to do an AMA (Ask me Anything) on Reddit.com Friday 1:00 pm ET / 10:00am PT/ 19 :00 CET. They will take all your questions for 1 hour!

This is the unique opportunity to ask everything you ever wanted to know about Solar Impulse! Here is the link to participate: http://bit.ly/18D9ebf

After completing the longest distance flight in the history of the project, landing at 01:08AM CDT (UTC-5) on Thursday May 23nd at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, André expressed two wishes. The first was to stretch his long legs as it can get quite cramped when you’re over 6’2’’ (190 cm) tall in the meager 46 ft³ (1.3 m³) cockpit. The second one proved, once again, André’s pride in his family name; Borschberg: the bons vivants. He articulated the wish to enjoy Texas’ world-renowned steak and even asked Dallas residents to send him names of the best spots in town. Ideas; anybody?

Jokes aside, it was a unique but challenging journey. The pre-flight preparations were intense because of the specific wind conditions, manifest after sunset. This allowed André to live a true “sky surfing” experience. Because of the lightness and slow speed of the solar airplane, it literally rode the updraft and downdraft of the mountain winds. This is clearly visible on the flight profile, a phenomenon that caused the plane to rise and fall, riding the wind waves.

The flight was a perfect training experience for both the pilot and the team in the Mission Control Center. It has reconfirmed the need to remain flexible and try to request, when possible, permission to fly at different altitudes to local Air Traffic Controllers. Having options can help avoid being stuck in a segment that’s experiencing unique winds – but it’s not always possible due to dense air traffic flying below the solar airplane.

Texan skies have certainly challenged the top ranking of California’s surfing, but now that André’s safely back on the ground, he can indulge in a good pair of cowboy boots and other more traditionally Texan sports.