Alice took off at 7.10 am local time from Grant County International Airport in Washington state, and made a short, 8-minute circuit, reaching an altitude of 3,500 ft (1067m) before coming in and touching down.

"Today we embark on the next era of aviation – we have successfully electrified the skies with the unforgettable first flight of Alice," said Eviation President and CEO Gregory Davis.

"People now know what affordable, clean and sustainable aviation looks and sounds like for the first time in a fixed-wing, all-electric aircraft. This ground-breaking milestone will lead innovation in sustainable air travel, and shape both passenger and cargo travel in the future."

It is indeed a significant moment, although there's a way to go yet as Alice is still an experimentally registered prototype, rather than a fully certified production aircraft.

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Eviation still has to run it through a full and rigorous flight test regime, and jump through the many hoops of FAA certification, not just for the aircraft and all its systems, but also for the company itself as a design organisation and a production facility. 

The company hopes to have this all squared away and get Alice into service by 2026.

Alice's spec sheet has become a fair bit less impressive over the last year. In May 2021, this nine-seat luxury machine was running an interesting three-prop propulsion system and a V-tail, and promising 506-mile (814km) flights to a charge.

Now, the tail's a T-shape, there are just two props, the claimed range has dwindled to just 288 miles (463km), and the max takeoff weight (MTOW) has burgeoned from 14,700 lb (6668kg) to 18,400 lb (8346kg). On the plus side, the top speed has increased from 253 mph (407km/h) to 299 mph (481km/h).

The reduced range in particular is going to sting, as it'll significantly cut down the number of operating routes Alice can handle. 

But Eviation says this machine's quiet, zero-emissions flight, and its extremely low operating costs compared to turboprops or light jets, will make a good case for it in the commuter and cargo markets.

New Atlas