Solar Impulse (solar powered plane) to stop in Phoenix

[Chris Kennedy]

Doesn't say exactly when or where, but they are supposed to leave San Jose on May 1st. Phoenix is the first stopover. Average flying speed is listed as 43 mph, so somebody can do the math.

http://www.solarimpulse.com/

[Chris Kennedy]

The flight is now scheduled to start on May 3rd, with first stop at Sky Harbor.

http://solarimpulse.com/en/airplane/across-america/

I believe there will be live tracking on the website once the flight starts.

[Rob Silliman]

From another page on the web site;

It looks like the next possible date for the kick-off of the 2013 Across America mission could be this Friday, May 3rd! Weather conditions permitting, the flight would take off from Moffett Airfield to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix (AZ). It will be an early departure, most likely before 6 am local time (UTC-7) with a landing after midnight local Phoenix time (UTC-7).

[Chris Kennedy]

Apparently, the aircraft will be at Sky Harbor for several days. The second leg, to Dallas, is scheduled for "mid-May."

[Kevin]

They have an EventBrite signup page for Phoenix now: http://www.solarimpulse.com/timeline/view/6952

For those of you that live in or around Phoenix, we have some wonderful news! We were able to organize two slots for public visits on Sunday May 5th and Tuesday May 7th between 1 pm and 7 pm. There will be 6 slots per day of one hour each. Given strict airport security regulations, please be aware that a maximum of 150 people are allowed per slot so hurry up and sign up today if you want to get a chance to see the solar airplane! Just register for the day and time most convenient to you (Sunday or Tuesday) and come to the airport with your printed ticket.  Parking is available.

[Rob Silliman]

Temp bldg set up next to exec terminal.  Looks like three truckloads of stuff.  Guess that answers where they are going to be.

[Chris Kennedy]

Where's the exec terminal? I signed up to see it on Tuesday and the ticket says to park in the special event lot, which I found out is next to the west cell phone lot.

[Chris V]

Anyone catch the landing? On TV it looked pretty cool with the span of landing lights it had on!

[Jeff D. Welker]

Anyone catch the landing? On TV it looked pretty cool with the span of landing lights it had on!

Matt and I were there for the 1:00 AM arrival. Don't let the TV video give you a false sense of what could be shot with a DSLR. The row of LED's on the leading edge of the wing was cool, but that is all I could really capture with any resolution. Via this exercise in sleep deprivation, I confirmed that there is a very good reason no AZAP shooters are regularly posting images captured in total darkness at KPHX - it is too stinking dark 

[BillOz]

Where's the exec terminal? I signed up to see it on Tuesday and the ticket says to park in the special event lot, which I found out is next to the west cell phone lot.

The Executive Terminal is just North of Terminal 2.  It is beside the Airport Police Station.  You will see a tent there.  The Special Event Parking lot is right there also, directly South of the Tent.

[Chris Kennedy]

Where's the exec terminal? I signed up to see it on Tuesday and the ticket says to park in the special event lot, which I found out is next to the west cell phone lot.

The Executive Terminal is just North of Terminal 2.  It is beside the Airport Police Station.  You will see a tent there.  The Special Event Parking lot is right there also, directly South of the Tent.

I found it, thanks. 

Not too great for photography in the tent.

[Chris Kennedy]

They've opened up some additional visit times on Wednesday, if anybody is interested.

http://solarimpulseatphoenixonwednesday.eventbrite.com/

[Chris Kennedy]

Now they're saying not before Wednesday, the 15th.

[Rob Silliman]

Now, no earlier than Thursday, May 16th Monday, May 20th;

http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/across-america/dallas/

(why does it seem like they didn't expect to be here this long?)

[Joe Copalman]

I still don't get the purpose of this thing.  Demonstrating something that had already been demonstrated in the early 1980s?