EADS Innovation Works, the initiator of cutting-edge technologies, scientific excellence and program leadership, joined forces with Aero Composite Saintonge to design and ultimately unveil their ground-breaking Cri aerobatic electric airplane. The next-gen aircraft took to the Parisian skies from the Le Bourget airfield. The maiden test flight of the four-engine prototype lasted seven minutes without causing the slightest hitch to its pilot. The counter-rotating propellers hardly made a sound.
The flight was made possible due to the energy dense lithium battery pack that powers four brushless electric motors of the prototype flyer. It all combines to allow the aircraft 30 minutes of cruise flight or 15 minutes of speedier aerobatics, which is impressive to say the least! Any follow-on aerobatic maneuvers will tag on the accumulated experience of at least 15 landings or a flight time of five hours.
Via: Gizmag