THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE ALL-ELECTRIC SPIRIT OF INNOVATION SINGLE-SEAT AIRCRAFT designed by a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce was a successful 15-minute buzz over the British countryside September 15, 2021. The company claims the aircraft has "the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled" consisting of 6,000 cells, which power three electric motors to a single three-blade propeller. Officials expect the airplane to surpass 300 mph later this year.The sleek airframe is designed to invoke the classic racing aircraft of the 1930s. The flight took place at the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense field, Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England, which has a history of hosting experimental flights. The Spirit of Innovation will now enter an intense flight training phase in anticipation of setting a world record. The aircraft project began in 2019 and is part of the Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) program funded, in part, by the UK's Aerospace Technology Institute and its government.
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