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Old 25th Apr 2022, 00:13
  #18 (permalink)  
Pilot DAR
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
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It'll be a while before changing batteries is practical, let alone a pilot task. Handling a few hundred pounds of batteries around an airplane will require a special lift machine, which sure, is doable, and then immense care not to dent the plane with it. If the replaceable battery pack is inside the cabin, it is a handling problem, and its being properly restrained is critical. If a belly pod, assuring it's correctly attached will be important. If in the wings, where the fuel was, not easy to change. Cessna 150/152/170 have dozens of screws, all the larger Cessnas have inaccessible tank areas from the perspective of installing batteries. This was the main stumbling block for the electric 172 project I was working on for a while - batteries are there to stay from a day to day operations perspective.

Of course, new fuselage designs will get around this, but in most cases, that will mean a new plane. New planes are costly, for a private market who sometimes struggle with the cost of the legacy types.
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