A pilot just set out to fly 4,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean — without any fuel

Solar Impulse
(Image credit: Liu Yanmin/ChinaFotoPress)

André Borschberg is most definitely a daredevil. And if he lands this stunt, he'll also be a record-breaker.

Borschberg just set out on a five-day, 4,000-mile-long journey in which he'll fly over the Pacific Ocean in a solar plane, without any fuel. The plane, the Solar Impulse, runs entirely on solar power, and as its sole pilot, Borschberg is reportedly "subsisting on naps and a bit of mind-focusing yoga" in order to complete the harrowing five-day journey. The Japan-to-Hawaii route is the final leg of the plane's trip across the globe; Borschberg is hoping he will become the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe in an electric plane.

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