California IN BRIEF : DESERT CENTER : Solar Plane Soars Toward Goal

The Sun-Seeker ultralight airplane headed across Indiana toward Kentucky on Saturday in a quest to cross the continent with the help of solar power. Pilot Eric Raymond left Washington, Ind., at 9:15 a.m. PDT and headed east in good soaring conditions, said flight spokesman Jack Whitehouse. The Sun-Seeker uses an electrical motor powered by solar cells to help Raymond take off and land. In flight, the motor is turned off and the plane becomes a glider, riding thermals. Raymond left Desert Center in early August and has been making daily hops eastward, except when poor weather has grounded him. The flight is intended to demonstrate the capability of solar power. Raymond may reach his final destination, Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Tuesday or Wednesday, Whitehouse said.