Engineering news
The historic first flight of an all-electric aircraft across the English Channel is due to take place tomorrow.
Airbus' E-Fan technology demonstrator will, weather permitting, take off from Lydd in Kent, making the short hop across the Channel to Aquitaine in France.
The flight follows the footsteps of Louis Blériot’s first Channel crossing 106 years ago, and is being carried out to promote the potential of all-electric propulsion.
The E-Fan is a two-seat general aviation trainer made from composites. It is powered by a series of 250V batteries and two 30kW electric motors that spin two ducted, variable pitch fans mounted on the sides of the rear fuselage. The aircraft has enough power for one hour of flight and takes one hour to recharge. It also has a backup battery to enable emergency landings.
As electric flight is such a new concept, no rules exist as of yet to verify the airworthiness of an electrical engine. Therefore, Airbus and the French Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) have had to devise a dedicated test and verification programme to assure safety.
Jean Botti, Airbus group chief technical officer, said: “We are very much looking forward to this challenge. For months we have been in contact with authorities and flight regulations and have performed an in-depth analysis of the flight profile. We have followed all requirements for safety verification in close cooperation with DGAC.
“That is something which may not have been necessary 100 years ago, when aviation pioneer Louis Blériot performed his channel crossing. Back then, his flight was just a race to be first. Today, following rules and obtaining certifications is of crucial importance for the future of safe, reliable and certifiable electric flight.”
The E-Fan aircraft, which was first demonstrated at the Farnborough Airshow in 2014, is touted as the first step on the road to an electric commercial aircraft. A hybrid-electric four-seater version is planned that will increase the maximum flight time from nearly an hour to 3.5 hours.
Airbus is to build electric aircraft at a final assembly line in Pau, southwest France. “The industrialisation of our E-Fan aircraft will help us to advance electric flight and also to gain experience to scale up the technology,” said added Botti.