Interview by Robbie Clark

In early June, Solar Impulse 2 made its inaugural flight, which lasted two hours. The vehicle’s intended mission, scheduled to begin next year, will take a little more time, since the charted course is to circumnavigate the globe.

Since the Golden Age of Aviation, a number of pilots or teams of pilots have cruised around the world to their own distinction, from the first round-the-world flight in 1924 by a team of four Douglas Cruiser biplanes (a 175-day voyage) to Wiley Post’s first round-the-world solo flight in 1933 to Capt. James Gallagher’s first round-the-world nonstop flight. If successful, Solar Impulse 2 and its pilots, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, will add a new title to the venerated list: first solar-powered round-the-world flight.

Subscribe to CAKE&WHISKEY magazine or purchase the single issue here for the full interview with Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg.