Get ready for “electrons” in the tank.

By Dave Martin

The next aviation revolution is coming: electric-powered recreational aircraft. An airshow-center flight of Randall Fishman’s ElectraFlyer-C at last summer’s AirVenture/Oshkosh convention clearly hinted at an enticing future—practical flight powered by electricity costing 50 cents for an hour in the air.

For many thousands of hobby fliers, Fishman’s success is not startling. We modelers have flown powerful, high-tech motor-propelled RC model aircraft for more than five years. Lightweight lithium-poly battery packs combined with sophisticated electronic speed controls and brushless electric motors allow nearly silent aerobatics including nose-up hovering. We modelers knew that this technology would eventually scale up to include people-carrying aircraft. (But it will be a while before the power-to-weight ratio of full-scale electrics matches what’s available now in a 3-pound model.) …

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