The solar-powered airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg took-off this morning from Cincinnati  and is expected to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, June 16.

After a brief Pit Stop at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport from Friday evening to Saturday morning – which allowed the Solar Impulse team to rest for a few hours, Bertrand Piccard has now replaced André Borschberg at the controls of the plane for the second half of the flight to Washington D.C.

The leg has exceptionally been split into two flights because strong cross and head winds would have slowed down the aircraft too much and made it impossible for the pilot to reach the nation’s capital in one go in less than 24 hours, which is the limit set for the pilot in the cramped single-seater cockpit.

The Solar Impulse Across America mission is made in partnership with Solvay, Schindler, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions,Sunpower and the Swiss Confederation.