Market Intelligence: North America

Canada based University of Waterloo and Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) instructors and Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) researchers shared the following findings around pilot training with electric training aircraft;

• The Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s first certified electric plane, was tested for takeoff, circuit, and landing phases at the Waterloo International Airport.
• A team of instructors and researchers recorded and analyzed data from the Velis Electro’s onboard data logger during 11 flights totaling 10 hours.
• Pilots completed 65 circuits, with an average flight time of 54 minutes and an average air time of 40 minutes.
• The battery’s state of charge (SOC)
  • Dropped only 2% during 14 minutes of checks and taxiing due to the electric motor being off when not in motion.
  • Dropped by 9-11% during the takeoff and climb stage of each circuit, taking 6-7 minutes, and extended circuits used up to 21% SOC.
• Power settings varied during different stages of the circuit, with maximum power of 64 kW used for takeoff, altitude is maintained with a power setting of 18 to 28 kW and almost no power is used during the descent.
• After landing, the plane underwent a ‘touch-and-go’ maneuver, allowing multiple takeoffs and landings without stopping, enabling pilots to familiarize themselves with each stage of the circuit.
• Charging the battery took approximately 60 minutes to reach 99% SOC, allowing for an average of six circuits and 54 minutes of flight time after an hour of charging.
• The study will continue to explore the impact of temperature on battery performance during fall and winter operations.

Source: University of Waterloo
Photo Credit: Pipistrel