Solar Impulse 2 lands in Silicon Valley

The solar-powered aeroplane Solar Impulse has landed in Silicon Valley, California, after a three-day flight over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii.

Solar Impulse 2, an experimental plane flying around the world without a single drop of fuel and piloted by Swiss explorer and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, touched down in Mountain just before midnight.

Solar Impulse started the journey last March in Abu Dhabi. The trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs.

It flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday evening as it prepared to land in California.

Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun through the 17,000 photovoltaic cells that cover the top surfaces of the craft.

"I crossed the bridge. I am officially in America," said pilot Bertrand Piccard as he flew above San Francisco Bay.

The team has seen the project beset with problems and setbacks during its pioneering airborne circumnavigation.

The plane took off from Hawaii on Thursday, resuming a journey that had stalled on the island of Oahu for almost 10 months.

It lifted off just before sunrise Friday to cheers and applause. On arrival into the skies above California, it flew holding patterns for several hours above San Francisco Bay in celebration of the achievement.

As dusk fell over the city, the team posted striking images on its social media accounts.

The Hawaii-California leg took just over 62 hours to complete because the plane travels at about the same speed as a car.

While Piccard was at the controls for this ninth leg of the round-the-world trip, he and Borschberg take turns flying the plane solo.

Solar Impulse spokeswoman Alexandra Gindroz said the flight has benefited from a 'very stable weather window' and is expected to touch down on schedule.

The solar plane looks like a giant high-tech dragonfly and requires near-perfect conditions to fly.

The Solar Impulse 2 was originally supposed to land in Abu Dhabi where it started its journey in March 2015 by the end of last summer.

But a series of frustrating weather delays in China slowed progress for weeks, followed by an unexpected diversion to Japan where the aircraft was damaged on the tarmac by a storm.

It was a moment of human achievement as the five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey.

Borschberg piloted the plane wearing an oxygen mask as it climbed up 8,000 meters high during the day.

The vehicle's batteries overheated during the trip forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted.

A further 20m euros had to be raised from the supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year.