This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
On December 10, 2019, a historic flight marked the beginning of a new era in aviation as Harbour Air's 62-year-old seaplane, retrofitted with an electric motor, took to the skies.
The e-plane, a six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane, was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air, on a short loop along the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport in front of around 100 onlookers.
"For me that flight was just like flying a Beaver, but it was a Beaver on electric steroids. I actually had to back off on the power," McDougall said.
The flight, which lasted less than 15 minutes, was a significant milestone in the development of electric aviation. Harbour Air, which ferries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities, aims to electrify its entire fleet of more than 40 seaplanes.
"Our goal is to actually electrify the entire fleet. There's no reason not to," McDougall said.
The e-plane's electric motor was designed by magniX, a Seattle-based engineering firm, and was tested in partnership with Harbour Air. Roei Ganzarski, chief executive of magniX, said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines -- not to mention zero emissions.
"This signifies the start of the electric aviation age," Ganzarski told reporters.
