High winds grounded the first solar-powered plane to fly cross-country, prompting the pilot to call off the last 9-mile leg of the flight Tuesday and declare the trip from California to the birthplace of aviation complete.
Eric Raymond, 33, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., took off July 16 from Desert Center, Calif., in his homemade solar-powered ultralight dubbed Sun Seeker. The former national hang-gliding champion was expected to soar into the area where the Wright brothers first took to the skies, but 30 mph northeast winds Tuesday prompted him to cancel plans to continue the remaining 9 miles to the First Flight Airport in Kitty Hawk, flight spokesman Jack Whitehouse said."He proved what he set out to prove and that was that solar power could fly a plane across the country," Whitehouse said.