The First Electric Airline.

On the environmental benefit side, there is zero carbon burn. In the long run, the operating economics will allow us to make more flights more affordable for a larger audience. Consider travel between Seattle and Pullman, Wash., the home of Washington State University. It’s a five-hour drive to see my daughter, but an expensive $450 commercial flight. An electric plane is so much cheaper to operate and the result is lower fares — maybe $100 return. There are thousands of cities in the United States where it is inconvenient to drive between them but too costly to fly.

If you can find an aerodynamically efficient aircraft like the Beaver seaplane that Harbour Air flies, or, say, a lightweight composite aircraft, there is a business case for this mission profile

Our city wants to advance climate-friendly policies in an expeditious way, so we celebrated their achievement

• signal a change

The most exciting thing about this flight for me personally is that it signals a change in how we look at aviation, and how my kids will travel in the future