Well, 17 passengers, anyway. Remember that EHang flew its entire board of directors and executive team on demonstration outings in February 2018. In a more recent flight, EHang CEO HU Huazhi “commuted” via an EHang 216 (2 passengers, 16 motors and propellers). In April this year, EHang flew apparently happy participants at Vienna’s Generali Arena as part of the 4GameChangers Festival, an international festival of – you guessed it – game changers. This year’s theme, “Europe Meets Asia,” seemed a mild precursor to the full frontal assault by EHang. For those not lucky enough to get first-hand experience in the air, displays in the Festival offered virtual and augmented reality demonstrations and ample digitally-based thrills. Aviation Week reported, “An autonomous, Chinese, two-seat urban transport vehicle is not one of the most anticipated sights on the exhibition floor at EBACE (European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition), but in the realm of UAVs, things happen quickly. EHang, one of the earliest and …
China’s First Certified Electric Airplane Ready for Mass Production
China has seen Yuneec’s early entry into the electric aircraft field. The parent company is now making drones and camera gear in China, but its Greenwing International subsidiary in Cable, California appears to be defunct, according to Bill Lofton’s EV Hangar. Yuneec’s E430 two-seater and e-Spyder ultralight, all flown at the big AirVenture shows, will seemingly not come to market. A craft similar to the E430, the RX1E Ruixiang, is ready to go into mass production, however. Developed by Shenyang Aerospace University in Shenyang City in China’s Liaoning Province, the long-winged two seater is the first electric aircraft certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Certification was a major accomplishment, according to Yang Fengtian, chief designer of the airplane. “Unlike military aircraft and commercial jets, there are certain criteria that an electric plane must have before given permission to fly. The plane has to be light enough, and the batteries need to be efficient and reliable, and overall it has …