Airbus has made a successful series of flights for its E-Fan all-electric technology demonstrator aircraft.
The E-Fan was first shown at last year’s Paris Air Show and made its first flight in March at Marignac Airport in Bordeaux, France. Last week it made a series of more flights with Airbus progressively revealing more information about the aircraft.
The E-Fan is powered by two propellers driven by electric motors. Total power output is 60 kilowatts (about 80 hp) and flight endurance is 45 to 60 mins. Takeoff speed is 60 knots (110 km/h) and cruise speed 86 kt (160 km/h).
“The all-electric E-Fan training aircraft has zero carbon dioxide emissions in flight and should bring a significant reduction in noise around airfields,” says Airbus.
“The two-seat E-Fan is particularly suited for short missions such as basic pilot training, glider towing and aerobatics, with a flight endurance of one hour for pilot training and 30 minutes for aerobatics. E-Fan can bring significant benefits in terms of cost per flight hour in the general aviation domain.”
The E-Fan project is supported by the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC). The DGAC requested the E-Fan’s flight parameters be similar to those of existing training aircraft to avoid completely new training requirements.
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