Pipistrel’s Alpha Electro First Electric Plane Crossing NZ Strait Pipistrel is in the news again this time with their Alpha Electro aircraft. An owner of one of these aircraft flew across the New Zealand Cook Strait...making it the first time it has been done by an electric aircraft. Mr. Gary Freedman, became the first pilot to fly over the New Zealand’s Cook Strait in an electric plane as well. The flight lasted around 40 minutes because he had to fly slowly at around 81 mph (130kph) to conserve battery power. The distance was about 48 miles and he flew at 1,000 feet in altitude. While Mr. Freedman is not the first person to fly across the Strait, he is the first to do so in an electric aircraft. The last flight across the Strait happened 101 years ago in a more conventionally powered aircraft.
Mr. Freedman said he was ecstatic when he landed, and the technology worked better than he’d hoped. "We still had 40% left in the battery," he said. "We could have almost flown back again." As Mr. Freedman made a history flight aimed at drawing attention to the possibilities of greener flying , he said it was only fitting that the first thing he saw when approaching the Wellington coastline was the rotating blade of a wind turbine producing renewable energy. Monday’s flight was timed to coincide with the opening of a pivotal U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. For more information: PIPISTREL d.o.o. GORIŠKA CESTA 50a SI – 5270 AJDOVŠČINA SLOVENIA www.pipistrel-aircraft.com ***
