Pieces of pilot's life came together for pioneering project

Every part of Andre Borschberg's life is like a piece of a puzzle that fits together to form the larger picture of Solar Impulse 2, the solar-powered aircraft that promotes sustainable development.

The 62-year-old former Swiss fighter pilot, engineer and entrepreneur, dressed in a black T-shirt, looked fit and confident before his flight from Chongqing to Nanjing.

The seventh leg of the journey will see the greatest test of the aircraft and its pilots, flying at least five days and nights over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.