EADS outsoars Sikorsky with electric aircraft

Airbus' parent company EADS says its all-electric experimental aircraft has performed its maiden flight, The Associated Press reports.  Meanwhile, Stratford's Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. continues development of an electric helicopter.

EADS says the single-seater made its official maiden flight at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Thursday.

There have been significant improvements in the endurance of electric propulsion systems for light aircraft in recent years. A number of firms in the evolving field are working on new designs, including one by Sikorsky, which is likely to become the world's first electric helicopter.

The Cri-Cri, the first four-engine all-electric plane, is the latest effort to develop a battery-powered aircraft with performance comparable to light, piston-engine airplanes.

The Cri-Cri's lithium batteries give it 30 minutes of autonomous flight at 66 mph.