The solar-powered aeroplane Solar Impulse has landed in Silicon Valley, California, after a three-day flight over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii.
High winds delayed the landing at Moffett Airfield, Mountain View, as pilot Bertrand Piccard flew in a holding pattern off the coast.
The latest leg of the round-the-world flight was the riskiest yet because of the lack of emergency landing sites.
With 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its top surfaces, the plane gets all its energy from the sun. These power the craft's propellers during the day but also charge batteries that the vehicle's motors can then call on during the night.
Solar Impulse started its journey in March of last year in Abu Dhabi, with the two pilots taking turns in the cockpit.
It crossed Oman, India, Myanmar and China before flying to Japan, from which it undertook the 8,924km (5,545-mile) passage to Hawaii.
That five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey.
However, the vehicle's batteries overheated, forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago for eight months while repairs were conducted.
A further 20m euros (£16m; $23m) had to be raised from supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year.
The two Swiss pilots' intention is to reach New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for an Atlantic crossing.
Assuming this is completed successfully, it should then be a relatively straightforward run back to the "finish line" in Abu Dhabi. (BBC)
PHOTO: The plane could be seen over San Francisco on Saturday evening local time.
CREDIT: AP.