World’s First Electric Plane Begins Flight Tests

Key South Island and Lower Mainland commuter airline Harbour Air has announced that flight testing of its new and predicted to soon be fleet wide electric plane begins flight testing December 11th from Vancouver International Airport’s South Terminal in Richmond.

The flight will be piloted by company president Greg McDougall in the company’s first DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver float plane retrofitted with a 750 horse electric motor.

The inaugural flight plan indicates take off from the middle arm of the Fraser River, West to Terra Nova Point and circling back to land at the take-off point.

More extensive testing will follow and Harbour Air expects to have its electric planes certified for commercial use within 2 years.