article_snippet: Once safely on the ground, Pilot Andre Borschberg said Pilot Andre Borschberg was "extremely happy" and "looking forward to the rest of [the] adventure.
article_snippet: Borschberg and Piccard will spend a total of 500 hours behind the controls over the entire trip, taking Borschberg and Piccard in turns in the tiny 3.8-square meter single-seater cockpit.
article_snippet: Before takeoff, Piccard admitted the pair "had "butterflies in the stomach" at the thought of getting underway after working on the project for so long.
article_snippet: On Sunday, the pair joked about tossing a coin for the right to fly first, before tearfully revealing that the pair had already decided who would be doing what.
article_snippet: "pilot Andre Borschberg has worked on this airplane ... for 12 years, from the feasibility study until now; it is more than natural that pilot Andre Borschberg takes the first step," said Piccard.
article_snippet: Borschberg added: "Bertrand deserves to fly the last leg, and to make the arrival in Abu Dhabi, completing the vision Bertrand created 15 years ago.
article_snippet: the pair will also split ocean-flying duties: Piccard will take on the five-day, five-night journey across the Pacific, while Borschberg will tackle the Atlantic.
article_snippet: Borschberg and Piccard, who piloted an earlier version of the plane across the U.S. in 2013, are no strangers to adventure.
article_snippet: Borschberg is a former fighter pilot, and Piccard was part of the first team to circumnavigate the earth nonstop in a balloon in 1999.
highlights_snippet: Pilot Andre Borschberg was at the controls; Bertrand Piccard will tackle the second journey .
  