The Rhyxeon RX4E has become the first passenger-carrying electric aircraft to be certified in China. After a five-year development program, the four-seat airplane will join flight lines across the country, and perhaps in other nations. Slated for use in less-developed countries, the craft could provide transport in Asia, Africa, and other areas lacking extensive road networks or facing challenging terrain. Flying magazing reports, “FLYING interviewed Volar CEO Henry Hooi in April in Abu Dhabi, one of several locations worldwide it aims to fly the zero-emission aircraft. Hooi said the company will initially target RX4E operations in Southeast Asia before expanding to Africa and the Middle East, honing in on regions with traditionally poor aviation access. Use cases for the design, he said, might include private aviation, island hopping, tourism, agriculture, aerial photography, and even medical evacuations.” Having flown the battery-powered RX4E for at least the last five years, and even developing a hydrogen-powered version, the factory is turning to mass production …
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 …