All About an Electric Airplane

All About an Electric Airplane

Unlike a regular airplane, which functions on an internal combustion engine, an electric aircraft runs on electric motors. The electricity required for the functioning of such an aircraft comes from solar cells, fuel cells, power beaming, ultracapacitors and/or batteries.

History of Electric Airplane:

Gaston Tissandier, in 1883, became the first person to use electric motors in airship propulsion. The next year, Arthur Krebs and Charles Renard flew La France using a much more powerful motor.

Benefits of an electric aircraft:

An electric aircraft can provide many benefits in comparison to a regular airplane, as it is safer. With an electric airplane, there are fewer chances of mechanical failure. Besides, there is a lesser risk of fire or explosion in case of a collision. In comparison to regular airplanes, it makes less noise. One of the most impressive characteristic concerning an electric airplane is that it has environmental benefits concerning potential elimination of resultant emissions and consumption of fossil fuels. The following are some important reasons why an RC airplane is so appealing:

1. Easy to maintain:
Electric RC airplanes hold an edge over regular RC airplanes in the sense that they require minimum maintenance. Such airplanes barely require any kind of repairing. The best part is that they can survive dangerous crashes without incurring too much damage.

2. Easy to fly and Reliable:
With gas airplanes, there is more possibility of a crash due to higher chances of engine failure in mid-air. This is not the case with electric airplanes.

Drawback of an electric airplane:
The major disadvantage of an electric airplane is that its range is not much compared to the range of a regular airplane. However, its range can be enhanced by introducing solar cells to the body of the airplane, thereby creating a solar airplane. When adding solar cells, it is very important to ensure that the surface area of the plane is larger than its weight.