It may not be all that fast in the broader world of aircraft speed records, but French pilot Hugues Duval still has a fair bit to boast about with his latest accomplishment. Not only did he actually fly the aircraft pictured above -- which weights just 200 pounds and has a wingspan of 16 feet -- but he manged to hit a top speed of over 175 miles per hour, breaking his own record for the fastest all-electric airplane by about 15MPH. Not surprisingly, the plane itself (powered by two 35 horsepower electric motores and a pair of 1.5 kWh batteries) is better suited for short hops and the odd record attempt than any long-haul flights, as it's not able to fly for much more than 25 minutes at a time even at a more reasonable 65
