its electric plane across the English Channel: The First Electric Plane FLY

                         
 French pilot Didier Esteyne is about to land while crossing the Channel with his European planemaker Airbus E-Fan prototyp, at the Calais Airport, northern France,
Friday, July 10, 2015. Airbus flew its electric plane across the English Channel for the first time Friday, hours after a French pilot made a similar voyage in his electric plane — journeys seen as a symbolically important step toward making electronic flight viable in the long term.

 Airbus flew its electric plane across the English Channel for the first time Friday — hours after an independent French pilot made a similar voyage, beating the aeronautics giant in this symbolically important step toward making electronic flight viable in the long term.

Several companies in different countries are developing electric planes, in hopes of offering a fuel-free flight alternative for the future — and the battle to perform world "firsts" in electric planes is heating up as the technology becomes more durable.