Market Intelligence: -Training Aircraft Developments

Training Aircraft Manufacturer Elixir Aircraft Appointed One of the Winners of the French Tech 2030 Program

At the Vivatech trade show, the French government, through the ministers Bruno Le Maire, Jean-Noël Barrot, Roland Lescure and Sylvie Retailleau, announced the appointment of Elixir Aircraft as one of the winners of the first French Tech 2030 program.

At the forefront of the fight against climate change with its SAF (sustainable Aviation Fuel) and hydrogen-powered training aircraft, manufacturer Elixir Aircraft is very proud to announce its selection as one of the winners of the French Tech 2030 program.

During the presentation of the French Tech Next40/FT120 program last February, the President of the French Republic expressed his wish to strengthen public support for around a hundred innovative companies, against a backdrop of particularly aggressive international competition. The aim is to increase risk-taking and the share of emerging players. To achieve this ambition, the French Tech 2030 program was launched.

Following a rigorous selection process led by the General Secretary of Investments, in charge of France 2030, in conjunction with all government departments and Bpifrance, Elixir Aircraft stood out from over 840 applicants, demonstrating remarkable potential in one of France 2030’s key sectors.

Criteria are based on the following points:

Breakthrough innovation: Elixir offers a range of 4th-generation training aircraft with  SAF and hydrogen low-carbon engines. Elixir Aircraft’s innovation already reduces CO2 emissions by 70% compared with the current training fleet.

An international market with high concern and potential: Elixir Aircraft is focusing on replacing the 160,000 fleet of training and leisure aircraft produced in the 60s and 70s.

A business model based on strong short- and medium-term growth: Elixir Aircraft has booked +300 orders, pre-orders and letters of intent in less than 3 years on the market.

A strategic vision for the company: With a short-, medium- and long-term vision of the decarbonization of aviation, Elixir Aircraft is massively committed to the fight against climate change, while guaranteeing the economic sustainability of light aircraft operators.

Assessing the need for government support: Launching a certified aeronautics business in France requires substantial investment, and government support is vital in this sector.

French Tech 2030 winners will have access to:

  • A unique program of emerging players to raise companies’ profile with talent, investors and customers (as with the Next40).
  • Support for public funding with Bpifrance, to mobilize all France 2030 funding, not only to support projects, but also to accelerate them and increase their size;
  • Support for product marketing, with meetings with potential customers, not only public purchasers, but also major groups, ETIs, etc., as well as regulatory marketing procedures;
  • Support for private financing, with meetings with private financiers (funds, banks, IPOs), Next40 experience sharing, workshops, etc.
  • Support for links with research organizations, to help them collaborate with the best researchers.

About Elixir Aircraft

Elixir Aircraft, a company headquartered in La Rochelle, France, with nearly 100 employees, was founded in 2015 to meet the challenges of global light aviation.

The French company’s objective: to manufacture safer, more economical and more versatile aircraft. Complexity is the reason why today’s aircraft suffer from failures (technical or human), and are costly to operate (fuel consumption and maintenance).

Elixir Aircraft uses a technology from the world of competitive sailing, the Carbon Oneshot, to simplify structures. More simplicity means fewer failures, so greater safety, but also less maintenance, and lower costs (estimates of €40/h fuel and maintenance).

At the end of 2021, Elixir Aircraft opened a new production site in Périgny, Charente Maritime, to internalize all carbon parts production.

Elixir Aircraft in Figures:

  • 4th-generation two-seater aircraft certified EASA CS-23 since 2020 
  • 100 employees, including more than 70 hired since the first quarter of 2021
  • Two production sites in France, one of 2300m², the other of 2000m²
  • +70 aircraft on firm order
  • +140 avions en pré-commande et letttres d’intention aux Etats-Unis et en Europe

Source: Elixir Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Elixir Aircraft (shown as meta image)

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Aircraft Manufacturer Tecnam to Postpone the P-Volt (Electric) Aircraft Program

After three years of intensive studies covering the entire lifecycle of an all-electric aircraft, Tecnam has concluded that the time for P-Volt is not yet ripe, although research activities will continue to explore new emerging technologies.

Since the beginning of the P-Volt development, Tecnam’s focus has been to provide operators with the ability to fly an all-electric passenger aircraft profitably, efficiently and sustainably in terms of operating costs, emissions, performance, turnaround and time to market. At present, Tecnam believes that these can only be achieved by extremely aggressive speculation on uncertain technology developments.

Tecnam has a deep understanding of electric flight, gained from previous projects such as the H3ps hybrid aircraft based on the P2010 four-seater, and today Tecnam looked closely at the state of the art in energy storage and realistic 5 year developments, excluding technological revolutions that no one can speculate on. One of the conclusions was that an aircraft with a battery pack at the end of its life would not be the best product for the market, but certainly the worst in terms of Net Present Value (NPV).

The proliferation of aircraft with “new” batteries would lead to unrealistic mission profiles that would quickly degrade after a few weeks of operation, making the all-electric passenger aircraft a mere “Green Transition flagship” rather than a real player in the decarbonisation of aviation. Taking into account the most optimistic projections of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of the maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would fall below 170Wh/kg, and only a few hundred flights would drive operators to replace the entire storage unit, with a dramatic increase in direct operating costs due to the reserves for battery replacement prices.

With dozens of EASA and FAA certifications, Tecnam is the most active General Aviation manufacturer in the world with the highest number of new type certifications in recent years. The company’s mission has always been to design and manufacture products with the highest value for money in terms of efficiency, CO2 emissions, operating costs and profitability. Today, Tecnam believes that these key factors cannot define a new aircraft development as “viable” with a target entry into service by 2026-2028.

Tecnam is constantly and closely monitoring the evolution of technologies capable of achieving net-zero emissions targets, working with the leading manufacturers of propulsion systems and providing them with direction and guidance, ready to bring the P-Volt back into the type certification arena as soon as technology evolution allows.

Fabio Russo, Tecnam’s Chief R&D Officer said: “We don’t feel attracted by the “2026“ stream or any Electric Rush. It has always been our culture to commit to achievable goals with customers and operators, and we intend to keep that promise. We hope that new technologies will make businesses viable sooner rather than later, and we have real confidence in our partners’ ability to bring highly valuable products to the zero-emission powertrain and energy storage arena.”

Source: Tecnam Press Release
Photo Credit: Tecnam (shown as meta image)

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Middle East Airline Owned Flight Academy Emirates Flight Training Academy Flies its Latest Fleet of Diamond Aircraft

Emirates Flight Training Academy’s three new Diamond aircraft have taken to the skies and flown straight into the cadet training programme. Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA), which delivers one of the most advanced pilot training programmes in the world, welcomed the third Diamond DA42-VI light piston twin-engine aircraft into its fleet recently. The Diamonds have ushered in multi-engine piston (MEP) training at the academy, serving as a bridge between training on a single engine and a light jet, and rounding off EFTA’s training fleet to 30 aircraft.

With a flying range of 1,225 nautical miles and resplendent in Emirates’ new signature livery, the aircraft made their journey from Vienna, Austria to Dubai and it was nothing short of a travel log as EFTA’s instructor pilots made pit stops in Heraklion, Crete and Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Combined with the 27 Cirrus and Phenom jets in its fleet, EFTA’s students will train on three types of aircraft before they graduate from the academy – a rarity in the world of cadet flight training.

Captain Abdulla Al Hammadi, Vice President Emirates Flight Training Academy, said: “Our vision for our cadet programme is to constantly invest in and shape our training ecosystem with the most sophisticated tools, technology and infrastructure, which ensure our cadets are real-world ready and graduate with the highest levels of skills, capability and competence. We will continue to deliver on our promise to maintain a steady and robust pipeline of pilots for Emirates and the airline industry.

The Diamonds fit perfectly in between our single engine aircraft and the very light jets in our training fleet. Reliable, cutting-edge and eco-friendly, they are fully aligned to our goals as our trainees now also gain experience on multi-engine piston aircraft. Our cadets are delighted with the addition to the fleet – it means more aircraft types and a more varied learning experience.”

Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO Diamond Aircraft Austria said: “We are very proud to be part of Emirates’ history and commend them on their vision regarding the newest technologies for the next generation of airline pilots. We are looking forward to EFTA’s success, leveraging Diamond’s industry-leading technology, cost effectiveness, safety and environmental responsibility.”

The academy had placed the order for the three Diamond DA42-VI aircraft and its corresponding flight simulator in March this year in a deal worth EUR 4 million in list prices. The simulator is expected to be delivered soon. Cadets will commence training on the Diamond aircraft in the coming months.

The 4-seat DA42-VI is the newest version of Diamond’s technology leading light piston twin-engine aircraft. It’s the first certified general aviation piston aircraft to combine modern technology airframe, avionics, and power plants.

With its unique combination of performance and utility, the jet fuel powered DA42-VI is designed to make transitioning from single to twin engine much easier. The aircraft generates fuel savings of up to 50% compared to conventional AVGAS powered twins, and its panoramic canopy provides excellent visibility during all flight manoeuvres.

About Emirates Flight Training Academy

In 2017, Emirates launched the Emirates Flight Training Academy in Dubai South to train UAE nationals and international cadets to become pilots. The Academy combines cutting-edge learning technologies and a modern fleet of 30 training aircraft to train cadets with no previous knowledge of flying. All graduates have the unique opportunity to go through Emirates’ stringent recruitment process – which has had a success rate of 100% to-date.

Currently, EFTA’s fleet has 22 x Cirrus SR22 G6 single-engine piston, 5 x Embraer Phenom 100EV very light jet, and 3 x Diamond DA42-VI light piston twin-engine aircraft.

EFTA’s state-of-the-art facility, which is equal to 200 football fields, currently has 36 modern classrooms, 6 full motion flight simulators, an independent Air Traffic Control Tower, and a dedicated 1,800m long runway.

Ground school (53 weeks): All 36 classrooms are equipped with two 86″ touchscreens, running bespoke training software created specifically for EFTA. Cadets undergo at least 1,100 hours of ground-based training, and access the material via their own devices, which are digitally interconnected, creating an interactive training environment.

Flying school (315 hours): Cadets train on simulators, single-engine Cirrus and Phenom jets, and soon on the Diamond twin-engine aircraft. 

About Diamond Aircraft’s Flight Training Solution

Diamond’s dedication to flight training has shaped its product line of modern fuel-efficient aircraft, each with a specific training application in mind. With its complete line of piston aircraft including a dedicated flight training concept with Single Engine Piston (DA40 NG) and Multi Engine Piston (DA42-VI) trainers, along with type-specific flight training simulators and proprietary jet-fuel engines, Diamond Aircraft is the only sole source provider in the flight training market.

Source: Emirates Press Release
Photo Credit: Emirates

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Training Aircraft Manufacturer Pipistrel Expands Presence in Africa with Appointment of Distributor

Pipistrel, a Textron Inc. company, is bolstering its African sales network with the appointment of Absolute Aviation, headquartered at Lanseria International airport in South Africa, as its distributor to 11 countries across southern and central Africa.

Already a longstanding channel partner of Textron Aviation as an authorized sales, service and parts representative for Cessna and Beechcraft in southern and central Africa, Absolute Aviation will take on responsibility for sales, service support and training for Pipistrel’s ultralight, light sport and type certified aircraft, which include the Alpha Trainer, Velis Electro, Explorer and Panthera. Absolute Aviation will also showcase demonstration aircraft across the region to promote Pipistrel’s offerings.

Absolute Aviation will serve Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“We’re fully committed to building our network of distributors so that we can precisely meet the needs of our customers across Africa,” says Steve Mckenna, director of Sales and Marketing, Pipistrel. “As an established Textron Aviation channel partner, Absolute Aviation’s customer-centric approach is well known to us and we’re looking forward to extending this collaboration to showcase Pipistrel.”

“Extending our relationship with Textron to include Pipistrel underlines the trust we have developed and the success we have delivered,” adds Neil Howard, CEO, Absolute Aviation. “We are committed to building on this track record for Pipistrel in the fast-growing African market.”

The appointment of Absolute Aviation follows Pipistrel’s expansion of its distribution network in key regions across the globe. Most recently, Pipistrel appointed Lincoln Park Aviation (LPA) as its distributor for 15 US states and Lanier Flight Center as its distributor for five US states.

Source: Pipistrel Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Pipistrel Aircraft

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