Electric Aircraft Archives - Eco-Aviation Foundation International

First FAA-certified electric aircraft arrives at Santa Monica Airport and we got to fly it

Scott Burgess — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 01:51:03 +0000

First FAA-certified electric aircraft arrives at Santa Monica Airport and we got to fly it – Santa Monica Daily Press

Electric aircraft have been the talk of the town of late, especially considering the recent buzz surrounding the development of electric vertical take-off and landing air taxis. Many examples of these were shown at the recent 100th anniversary of the first ever flight around the world event at Santa Monica Airport. But last week, Eco-Aviation,

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Pipistrel’s Velis Electro Takes Flight at Santa Monica Airport to Support Training the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals

Scott Burgess — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:32:12 +0000

September 24, 2024 – Pipistrel, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced that the Eco-Aviation Foundation International, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting clean and quiet aviation worldwide, has taken delivery of the first Velis Electro to be used for flight training purposes under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness exemption. The purchase makes the Velis Electro the first FAA-exempt light sport electric aircraft at the Santa Monica Airport in California.

The Pipistrel Velis Electro is quiet, producing noise levels of only 60 decibels, low cost and user- friendly, making it an ideal solution for flight training with zero carbon emissions. The Foundation is expecting the arrival of its second Velis Electro in November.

In addition to facilitating the purchase of the Velis Electro, the Eco-Aviation Foundation is launching an Eco Flight Ground School, as well as an associated scholarship initiative in collaboration with local youth-focused community centers. These scholarships will fully fund Private Pilot ground school courses, including the complete FAA-approved curriculum and training on electric aircraft technologies. Additionally, scholarship recipients will have the cost of their FAA written test at a local testing center covered.

The Velis Electro aligns with the Foundation’s mission to promote electric aviation and to provide eco-friendly flight training, with a focus on young adults in underserved communities. The Eco Flight Ground School scholarships, in partnership with community youth organizations, open up a wide array of career opportunities in aviation and aerospace for students.

“This aircraft is not just a symbol of innovation and the future of clean aviation, but a functional tool to empower the next generation of aviation professionals,” said Scott Burgess, President of Eco-Aviation Foundation International. “While we’re proud to launch these efforts in Santa Monica, we anticipate that flight schools everywhere will embrace this opportunity to engage in similar efforts. The Foundation plans to help facilitate many of these initiatives.”

In addition to the Eco Flight Ground School and flight training, “discovery flights” in the Velis Electro will provide hands-on, educational experiences for students and others in the community. These flights are designed to inspire and educate community members about the possibilities within the aviation sector, particularly those who may not have previously considered it as a viable career path.

“We are proud to see the Pipistrel Velis Electro being used to train students, preparing them for the future of aviation,” said Tricia Steel, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Textron eAviation Inc. “This Eco-Aviation Foundation International’s initiative not only equips future aviators with experience on next-generation power systems, but also plays a crucial role in creating cleaner and quieter communities. This purchase underscores another step forward in the continued adoption of sustainable solutions worldwide.”

Earlier this year, the FAA granted a light-sport aircraft (LSA) airworthiness exemption for the Pipistrel Velis Electro, enabling flight training in an electric aircraft within the United States.

For more information, visit: www.pipistrel-aircraft.com.

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About Pipistrel

For interviews, images or further information, please contact:

Rachel Douglass rdouglass@e-aviation.com 316.285.3141

In 2020, Pipistrel’s Velis Electro became the world’s first, and currently only, electric aircraft to receive full type-certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and most recently received a light-sport aircraft airworthiness exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This achievement followed a series of electric aircraft introductions since the company began research and development of electric propulsion in 2000. Pipistrel’s pioneering work has been recognized through awards from NASA, IDC, and other

organizations. The company, which offers a family of gliders and light aircraft with both electric and combustion engines, has delivered more than 2,500 light aircraft worldwide since its founding in 1989 and additionally has both hybrid and electric propulsion models under development. Pipistrel is part of the Textron eAviation segment of Textron Inc. For more information, visit: www.pipistrel-aircraft.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

About Eco-Aviation Foundation International

The Eco-Aviation Foundation International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting all aspects of clean and quiet aviation, including electric aircraft, sustainable airports, educational opportunities and careers in aviation and aerospace. The Foundation promotes a future of community-friendly, clean and quiet urban airports, as well as sustainable aircraft that will revolutionize how we travel. The Foundation is based in Santa Monica, California, and its scope is worldwide. For more information, visit: www.eco-aviation.org.

Forward Looking Information Statement

Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These

statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation or deferral.

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Flying the all-electric Pipistrel Velis Electro, based at Santa Monica Airport.

Scott Burgess — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 01:06:58 +0000

Flying the all-electric Pipistrel Velis Electro, based at Santa Monica Airport!

Learning to fly in the first electric aircraft, the Velis Pipistrel Electro, based at Santa Monica Airport! The flying Tesla of the skies, the Pipistrel Velis Electro.

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Harbour Air Sets First ePlane Commercial Flight for 2026

Liz Tang — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:02:39 +0000

In one of the most talked about and exciting technological and economic races in the industry, Harbour Air (YB) aims to make its commercial debut with its ePlane as soon as 2026.

Harbour Air, a seaplane airline located in Vancouver, Canada, has been performing test flights with a modified De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver with an electric engine since 2019. This prototype aircraft is helping the company transform its whole fleet to fully electric aircraft and be among the first airlines in the world to do so.

Harbour Air welcomed the Airways team inside its maintenance center, located south of Vancouver Airport (YVR), and briefed us about the latest ePlane developments.

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Sarasota engineer, test pilot exceeds 24,000 feet in electric plane test flight

Liz Tang — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 18:51:46 +0000

Sarasota-based engineer and test pilot Miguel Iturmendi set a second unofficial record for a multi-seat electric aircraft near Bishop, California, last month when he reached 24,000 feet in Helios Horizon.

But because it came when a judge was not available to witness it, that altitude will remain an unofficial record.

Next, Iturmendi will set his sights on exceeding 31,000 feet in Helios Horizon – likely in November – once it’s outfitted with longer wings, a larger propeller and newer batteries.

“The project is not about the records; the records are to raise public awareness,” Iturmendi told the Herald-Tribune during a phone interview from Madrid, Spain.

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Crowdfunding a 19 seater commercial electric aircraft

Liz Tang — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 18:50:00 +0000

French electric aircraft developer Aura Aero is raising funds for its 19 seater aircraft on the CrowdCube crowdfunding site.

Aura Aero is looking for €500,000, or 0.2% of its €266m valuation, from crowdfunding to boost the detailed design phase of its 19 seater commercial electric regional aircraft (ERA), which will cost $800m. The company has already secured pre-orders for 472 ERA aircraft worth over $7bn.

The company has already developed a 2-seater electric aircraft called INTEGRAL which is providing useful feedback for the ERA development.

The company has already raised €460,000 from 44 investors in the first three days on CrowdCube, and is also backed by the Occitanie Region, the BPI (French Public Investment Bank) and venture capital firm Innovacom.

CrowdCube has previously been used by QPT for its GaN motor drive control technology and Nanusens for its MEMS sensor technology.

www.crowdcube.com/companies/aura-aero/pitches/ZpMQ6b

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HARBOUR AIR TO CONVERT ELECTRIC EBEAVER AIRCRAFT FOR BEL-AIR AVIATION

Liz Tang — Sun, 26 May 2024 19:02:44 +0000

Harbour Air has signed a letter of intent to convert three fully electric eBeaver aircraft for Bel-Air Aviation of Quebec at the International Aerospace Innovation Forum organized by Aero Montreal.

Bel-Air Aviation specializes in sight-seeing tourism on Canada’s east coast, and has expressed an interest in integrating fully electric aircraft into its operations. The agreement is subject to the execution of a definitive Purchase Agreement, which the parties aim to finalize within 24 months.

“We are excited to partner with Bel-Air Aviation to bring the eBeaver into their fleet,” says Erika Holtz, Lead Engineer & Project Manager Electrification at Harbour Air. “This agreement signifies a major milestone in our journey towards sustainable aviation and demonstrates the growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives in the market.”

Sébastien Provencher, Pilot and Operation Manager of Bel-Air Aviation, adds, “Acquiring these electric aircraft will not only enhance our operational capabilities but also align with our commitment to sustainability. We look forward to working closely with Harbour Air to finalize this agreement and introduce the eBeaver to our operations.”

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Aerospace startup makes major strides toward producing all-electric aircraft with eye-catching features — here’s a closer look

Liz Tang — Mon, 20 May 2024 03:18:40 +0000

Dutch startup Electron Aerospace has unveiled its luxurious all-electric aircraft that it expects to begin delivering to buyers by 2028.

The company shared an early look at the design with The Jet Business (@TheJetBusiness), which wondered whether the sleek plane could be the future of corporate aviation.

“Our main goal is to convert ground trips involving four- to eight-hour drives [into sub-regional flights],” Electron Aerospace co-founder and CEO Josef Mouris said in an interview with AIN.

If companies began using all-electric aircraft, they would prevent large amounts of harmful pollution from entering our atmosphere.

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Exclusive: electric flight: the dream coming true

Liz Tang — Sun, 19 May 2024 03:28:52 +0000

For the last four years, one man has laboured away, mostly alone, in an unheated hangar in South Norfolk, to build Britain’s first all electric light aircraft. This week, the NUNCATS Electric SkyJeep took to the air, rising for the first time to 700 feet in two long faultless looping flights. Tim Bridge’s dream was real at last.

The Electric SkyJeep is not like the experimental aircraft being built, at huge expense, by aircraft companies around the world. Like its namesake, it aims to be a simple, basic and cheap workhorse. It takes a tried and tested kitform light aircraft, replaces its petrol engine with an electric motor, and its fuel tanks with batteries. Simplicity is where the company gets its name NUNCATS (‘No Unnecessary Novelty Community Air Transport’)

So the Electric SkyJeep is ideal for the uses for which it is designed – delivering medical help to isolated villages in Africa, and offering cheap flying to flying schools and hobbyists in the USA and Europe.

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House bill: Time to put Air Force’s ‘flying car’ concept into action

Liz Tang — Fri, 17 May 2024 19:45:35 +0000

The Air Force has experimented with electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft under the Agility Prime program in recent years.

House lawmakers want the Air Force to start seriously thinking about how to make its electric “flying car” concept a reality.

A subcommittee’s section of the House Armed Services Committee’s proposed fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Air Force and the Pentagon to set up a working group dedicated to transitioning its Agility Prime concept into programs that can be used operationally.

Agility Prime is a program run by AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, to work with industry to develop and demonstrate electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft, or VTOLs. The Air Force issued contracts to more than a dozen companies beginning in 2020 to create these electric air taxis.

The service has already experimented with electric aircraft created by Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies to transport spare parts or cargo around bases, and conducted a simulated casualty evacuation exercise with Beta’s Alia — this one a conventional takeoff-and-landing aircraft — earlier this year.

The Air Force has also floated the idea of using Agility Prime-derived technology to conduct combat rescue operations, since electric aircraft can operate much more quietly than traditional fuel-powered helicopters.

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