The Pipistrel electric plane, a 2 seater pilot training aircraft, made its appearance at the Fully Charged Live event in Harrogate UK in May 2023. Pipistrel started as a Slovenian company but was sold to Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) which has the brands Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. Pipistrel states the plane specifications are as follows.

• 2 seater
• 57.6kW liquid cooled electric engine
• 2 x 11kWh batteries
• Range 50 mile (80km)
• Charging time 1 hour 20 minutes
• 900 cycles charging life
• Flight time 50 minutes plus reserve
• 202,000 euros plus VAT
• Noise levels of only 60 dBa
• A custom charger supplies the plane.
• Velis Electro is a full-electric derivative of the proven Virus SW 121, which is already type certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (TC No EASA.A.573).
• The engine is a Pipistrel type certified electric engine E-811-268MVLC (TC No. EASA.E.234), developed with partners EMRAX and EMSISO
• The three-bladed composite fixed pitch propeller P-812-164-F3A.
• The electrics are based on 345 VDC

Pipistrel Electric Plane – Velis Electro

The Velis Electro is the world’s first electric powered airplane and is certified to Type Certificate (EASA.A.573 TCDS).