Electric Airplanes Impress at Oshkosh Air Show

There was electricity in the air at this year's EAA Airventure air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Literally. A serious new trend at this year's show was the sudden proliferation of electrically powered airplanes. A German company called Lange Flugzeugbau showed off its gracile motor glider, the Antares 20E, which it claims can climb 10,000 feet on a single charge of its lithium ion batteries. Once at a suitable altitude, the retractable propeller stows away, and the pilot then needs to find air currents to stay aloft.