Solar Plane Pilot Gliding High Again

RIVERSIDE —  A Riverside County man seeking to become the first person to fly a solar-powered plane across America was headed for the Kentucky state line Friday after being grounded for three days because of poor flying conditions.

Eric Raymond, 33, had completed 1,760 miles of his landmark journey before taking off from Greenville, Ill., at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, said the pilot’s spokesman, Jack Whitehouse.

The Lake Elsinore pilot landed in Greenville Monday night and had been unable to continue his flight because of weak “thermals”--the updrafts that help his airplane, dubbed Sun-Seeker, gain altitude.

If the weather cooperates, Raymond could reach his destination--Kitty Hawk, N.C.--by Tuesday.

Raymond, a champion hang glider, took off Aug. 2 from the desert east of Palm Springs. His craft, made mostly of carbon fiber, has a wingspan of 55 feet and resembles a giant insect.

Batteries charged by solar cells on the plane’s wings, tail and fuselage drive a small motor that Raymond uses for takeoffs, landings and turbulent conditions. But the 195-pound plane mostly soars like a glider.