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There's nothing like a bit of competitive rivalry between a giant and an underdog. The aviation field is no different. Two French pilots are claiming to have made history by crossing the English Channel in an electric plane -- within hours of each other. Airbus flew its battery-powered prototype into France, just as another French pilot claims to have made the crossing on Thursday evening in his own tiny one-seater.
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A plane powered only by lithium batteries has successfully crossed the Channel, from Lydd Airport in Kent to Calais. Pilot Didier Estyene's E-Fan plane was airborne for around 40 minutes. However, it is understood that another French pilot, Hugues Duval, may have beaten him to the record of the first cross-Channel flight in an electric-powered plane, flying from Calais to England and back again.
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