FAA Stance on Electric Airplanes: No Passengers

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 09:50 PM ET

Verified

** Yuneec E430 electric airplane**

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is developing rules for electric airplanes to operate in U.S. airspace.
Initial draft rules will prohibit passengers, operations over congested areas, and night flights on these aircraft.
While not a major issue currently due to limited market availability, these restrictions could hinder the future growth of the U.S. electric airplane market, though they are seen as a prudent safety measure.

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The FAA is crafting rules that would allow electric airplanes to operate in U.S. airspace, but there is one big caveat: No passengers will be allowed on board. That’s according to a draft FAA order that spells out operating limitations for such aircraft.

The proposed revision to FAA Order 8130.2 really isn’t that big of a concern at the moment since electric-powered airplanes can’t be sold here yet — and even if they could, there aren’t many on the market.