All-Electric Commuter Aircraft Completes Historic Test Flight

摘要

The successful 30-minute test flight of a Cessna Grand Caravan 208B powered by a 750-horsepower (560 kW) magni500 propulsion system set a record as the world's largest all-electric commercial aircraft to take to the air. The project is a collaboration between Seattle-based electric motor manufacturer Magnix and AeroTEC, an aerospace testing, engineering, and certification company. Asked about noise levels, magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski told NRR, "We have not done full [noise] measurements yet but we are estimating around 40 percent quieter than the conventional Grand Caravan 208B." Observers on the ground reportedly could not hear the Caravan over the sound of the non-electric chase plane.