Airbus E-Fan Makes Successful English Channel Flight

Shayla Silva

Friday, July 10, 2015 at 09:45 PM ET

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Airbus Group

Key Takeaways:

Airbus Group's E-Fan electric aircraft successfully crossed the English Channel in 38 minutes, mirroring a historic flight from over a century ago.
The achievement is controversial, as French pilot Hugues Duval reportedly completed an electric Channel crossing hours before Airbus in his Cri Cri aircraft.
Another contender, Pipistrel, was prevented from attempting their crossing due to restrictions on using their Siemens motor for flights over water.

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Airbus Group’s E-Fan demonstrator was able to successfully cross the English Channel on Friday morning, mirroring Louis Blériot’s historical flight nearly 106 years ago. But the record flight is already proving controversial.

Taking off from Lydd Airport in southern England, the twin-fan electric airplane completed the flight in 38 minutes, reaching a cruise altitude of 3,500 feet. Pilot and E-Fan designer Didier Esteyne was at the controls for the flight.