The hybrid electric plane uses batteries instead of a conventional engine, the makers argue this means it is quieter, cheaper and greener
At first glance it did not look very different from the other light aircraft dotted around Exeter airport’s runway, a chunky extra compartment bolted to the bottom of the fuselage the only hint that there was more to it than met the eye.
But the plane took off a little more steeply than might have been expected and, as it circled the airport before heading towards the moors of Devon and the coast of Cornwall, it was noticeably quieter than the norm.
