When Airbus's e-Fan demonstrator made the first-ever battery-powered crossing of the English Channel from Lydd to Calais on 10 July, the well-trailed 40nm (74km), 37min flight made headlines as far afield as the USA and Australia, not to mention England and France. But the exercise was far more than a barnstorming publicity stunt. The aircraft has been extensively developed from the version unveiled at Bordeaux in 2014, and Airbus is driving hard toward commercial production. Detlef Miiller-Wiesner, who heads Airbus's electric aircraft directorate, says the preparation for the cross-Channel flight was a significant learning experience. The aircraft, which features tandem seats and twin ducted fans driven solely by battery power, made its 100th flight last month at the Paris air show.
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