The three competitors for the run were, Airbus Group’s E-Fan technology demonstrator, French Aerobat Hugues Duval’s Cri-Cri electric plane and, Pipistrel, a Slovenian company. Pipistrel had to forfeit when Siemens, the creator of the aircraft’s electric motor, denied permission for it to fly over water.

Airbus claimed to have been the first to cross The English Channel after making it’s flight from Lydd, Kent to Calais on Friday with pilot, Didier Esteyne, for 46 mi (74 km) to Calais in 36 minutes at an altitude of about 3,500 ft. Unfortunately for them, the Associated Press reported that Hugues Duval had made flight from Dover in his Cri Cri and reached Calais 12 hours earlier on July 9, Thursday. The Cri Cri flew at 65 mph (105 km/h) and had a 25 min range, and altitude of 16 ft for 17 minutes.

Though, Duval’s flight is of the shorter duration, the catch in his case is the fact that his plane that to be towed into the air by another plane, as he didn’t possess clearance to take off from Dover. This certain drawback could be the iceberg to Duval’s ship.

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Author:Technology Blog