Register

Video: In Nail-Biting Flight, Holder of Electric Bike Speed Record Sets Electric Plane Speed Record

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Test pilot Chip Yates set a new world record for the fastest electric airplane, reaching 202 MPH in only its second flight.
  • The record-setting flight concluded dramatically with a dead-stick landing after the aircraft lost power, a significant challenge for the relatively inexperienced pilot.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Test pilot and speed freak Chip Yates, already a record-holder for the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, broke another one last week in his all-electric airplane. In only its second flight, his Flight of the Century Long-EZ took to the skies over Inyokern Airport in California and reached a top speed of 202 MPH.

The 16-minute flight was not without drama, after the aircraft lost power and forced a dead-stick landing. Yates earned his pilot’s license in two months, and had logged just 58 hours of flight time before this trip — a dead-stick landing, flying without power, is a heady test for an inexperienced aviator.

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?

List your airplane on AircraftForSale.com and reach qualified buyers.

List Your Aircraft
AircraftForSale Logo | FLYING Logo
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE