Solar aeroplane completes 3-Day flight over Pacific

The solar-powered aeroplane, Solar Impulse, has completed a risky three-day flight over the Pacific Ocean. 
It flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday evening as it prepared to land in California. 
The plane took off from Hawaii on Thursday, where it underwent repairs for the past eight months after its batteries were damaged during the flight from Japan. 
This is the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world. 
"I crossed the bridge. I am officially in America," said pilot Bertrand Piccard as he flew above San Francisco Bay. 
Solar Impulse started the journey last March in Abu Dhabi. The trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs. 
Piccard will land the plane later at Moffett Airfield, located in Mountain View in Silicon Valley. 
The landing is being delayed until winds drop. 
Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun - through the 17,000 photovoltaic cells that cover the top surfaces of the craft. 
These power propellers during the day, but also charge batteries that the vehicle's motors can then call on during the night. 
The distance on this leg was 4,000km or 2,200 nautical miles. 
Starting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March, Solar Impulse crossed Oman, India, Myanmar, and China. It then flew to Japan, before undertaking a 8,924km passage to Hawaii. 
That five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey. But the vehicle's batteries overheated during the trip, forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted.

Source: QNA