Solar plane Pacific-crossing a ‘human challenge’

A handout picture made available by Solar Impulse on 22 April 2015 shows Solar Impulse 2 shortly after it landed in Nanjing, China. -EPA

NANJING, China: The pilot set to attempt an ambitious crossing of the Pacific Ocean in a solar-powered plane said on Wednesday that the flight will not only test the aircraft but his own endurance as well.

On its landmark attempt to circumnavigate the globe, the Solar Impulse 2 landed in China’s eastern city of Nanjing late Tuesday after a 17-hour trip from the southwestern megacity of Chongqing.