AJDOVŠČINA, Slovenia - Pipistrel's battery-powered Velis Electro aircraft has become the world's first electric airplane to be awarded type certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The certification confirms that the Velis Electro is airworthy in its particular category of aircraft, and marks the clearing of a significant hurdle on its road towards commercial use, writes David Szondy for New Atlas. Continue reading original article.
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
June 15, 2020 -The Pipistrel Velis Electro is a relatively small plane with a limited range - the two-seater has a 35-foot wing span and can fly for approximately 50 minutes - but it is a landmark aircraft. EASA has awarded it a type certification, an aviation first for an electric aircraft.
"The type certification of the Pipistrel Velis Electro is the first step towards the commercial use of electric aircraft, which is needed to make emission-free aviation feasible," says Ivo Boscarol, founder and CEO of Pipistrel Aircraft. 'It is considerably quieter than other airplanes and produces no combustion gases at all. It confirms and provides optimism, also to other electric aircraft designers, that the Type Certificate of electric engines and airplanes is possible. The engine, which Pipistrel type certified separately, is also available to other aircraft OEMs. For Pipistrel, this achievement injects additional motivation for the future eVTOL and multi‑seat hydrogen-powered projects. Pipistrel is especially thankful to all our customers for their confidence in our products, which allows us to continue developing these innovative aircraft."
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
