Solar-powered plane breaks solo flight record across Pacific to Hawaii

A handout photograph provided by Solar Impulse shows Andre Borschberg at the controls of Solar Impulse 2 as he prepares to take off from Nagoya, Japan, 28 June 2015.  [Photo/Agencies]

The solo record was previously set in 2006 by American adventurer Steve Fossett, who flew the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer for 76 hours non-stop.

The Solar Impulse remained airborne three consecutive days and nights, producing its own power with solar energy, the pilots said.

The Solar Impulse 2 is the first aircraft to fly day and night without any fuel, solely using the sun's energy.

Borschberg navigates alone in an unheated and unpressurized cockpit, sleeping in bursts of 20 minutes while on autopilot.

The next leg of the flight will be from Honolulu to Phoenix, Arizona, and then Borschberg and Piccard will fly together across the Atlantic on a return path to Abu Dhabi.

Studies, design and construction took 12 years and a first version of the craft rolled out in 2009 broke records for heights and distances traveled by a manned solar plane.

"The experience of flight is so intense that I can only focus on the present moment and discover how to deal with my own energy and mindset," Borschberg said in a statement.