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Maiden flight successful – largest e-aircraft takes off

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The largest electric aircraft in the world

It is the largest electric aircraft in the world to date: the converted Cessna Caravan can carry nine passengers and has a range of around 160 kilometers.

May 29, 2020



Fly greener: The world’s largest fully electric aircraft completes its first test flight. The converted Cessna stays in the air for 30 minutes and lands safely – it could be approved soon.

It could be a milestone for the aviation of the future: In the state of Washington in the northwest of the United States, the world’s largest electrically powered airliner successfully completed its maiden flight on Thursday. According to media reports, the converted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan initially rose to a height of around 770 meters after the start. She then circled for about half an hour at an altitude of 300 meters above Moses Lake Airport, about 300 kilometers west of Seattle.

Observers of the maiden flight reported that the e-plane made hardly any noise. A significantly smaller security aircraft that accompanied the test flight was more than twice as loud.



The eCaravan resulted from a collaboration between the engine manufacturer magniX and the aerospace company AeroTEC. The aircraft can carry nine passengers. Magnix hopes that it can be put into commercial service by the end of 2021. The range is around 160 kilometers – that’s enough for numerous short-haul flights.

Silent in the sky: According to observers, the electrically powered eCaravan made almost no noise on its maiden flight.

Screenshot Twitter / @ MagniX

In an interview with the “Guardian”, magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski emphasized the importance of electric engines. They are essential for reducing CO2 emissions and would reduce the cost per hour of flight by up to 70 percent.



Ganzarski believes that all flights under 1000 miles (16th000 kilometers) within the next 15 years with fully electric aircraft. However, battery technology still needs to be improved. He sees the successful maiden flight of the nine-seater aircraft as an incentive for battery manufacturers who are now seeing that the e-aircraft market has potential.

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