Aviation pioneers dreamed about the day we would experience electric flight, and long before the Wright brothers took to the sky in 1903, innovators were already experimenting with batteries and electric motors to power airships and balloons. In 1883, French military engineers Charles Renard and Arthur Constantin Krebs used batteries and electric motors to power “La France,” a steerable, hydrogen-filled airship. However, it was not until decades later that battery technology became advanced enough to power full-sized aircraft.

The landing procedure for aircraft is complex, requiring pilots to undertake a number of flight maneuvers before they can shut-off the engines and finalize an operation. The landing procedure consists of multiple steps, and pilots have created terms for each phase starting from the landing approach to the final runway rollout. In order to carry out a successful and “perfect” landing, a pilot must achieve a soft touch down while traveling only slightly above stall speed, all while maintaining a nose-up attitude. To meet these requirements, pilots must be fully aware of each landing phase and how to properly execute it.

An electric motor is a type of machine that is capable of transforming electrical energy into mechanical energy, and they are utilized for a multitude of applications that involve electricity. In the current age, almost half of all global electricity is made possible through electric motors, and their uses span from simple household items to commercial applications. In the realm of aerospace, electric motors are beginning to find use in the development of electric aircraft and drones, providing power for operation.