Letter: How does that zero-emission plane lift off?

From Derek Malpass, Hohenthann, Germany

I was interested to read about the zero-emissions model aircraft (24 November 2018, p 7). You say that the electrodes produce ions that push against the surrounding air. I am old enough to remember the advent of jet aircraft in the 1940s. How could they possibly fly with no visible propeller? “They push on the air behind them” was a frequently heard response from people who didn't understand Newton's third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, as when the action of the jet exhaust causes the reaction of the plane's motion.

The editor writes:
• Many readers asked about this. The electroaerodynamic (EAD) propulsion that the plane uses is different from jet propulsion or ion thrusters for spacecraft. EAD doesn't push ions out: it creates ions in the surrounding air, which collide with neutral air molecules.