US racer to cross Atlantic in electric plane Lindbergh-style

An American motorcycle and electric plane racer is planning to make history by a trans-Atlantic flight in an electric airplane, in the style of Charles Lindbergh, who managed the same feat in 1927.

According to the Discovery News, Chip Yates, who will be going at a speed of 100 mph over the Atlantic, has revealed that he has his eyes on repeating Lindbergh's much-remembered flight from New York to Paris in an electric plane that is modeled like a glider with a 100-foot wingspan.

However, the report said that the plane is still being built, adding that the Lindbergh-piloted Solar Impulse had traveled at a speed of 31 mph, which will be a lot lesser compared to Yates' airplane.

To increase the electric plane's range, Yates said that he would attach a battery pack to the plane and also attach new ones mid-way along the route, which is similar to the strategy military planes use.

However, last year, Yates' batteries ruptured during the test flights, although the report said that his team is expected to spend a lot of time on construction and systems testing this year.

Wishing Yates luck, Lindbergh's grandson Erik said that he hoped that the racer would come out alive after the feat, adding that if Yates could pull this off, he would be proving that electric airplanes are not just some novelty but are also capable of going the distance with plenty of speed to boot.

In 2011, Yates had set an unofficial electric racing motorcycle record in the Mohave Mile, going at 190.6 miles per hour and had also last year broken another record by flying over the Mohave Desert in a custom aircraft at 202.6 mph, completely shattering the previous 175 mph one, the report added.