Writer

Amy Laboda

No one ever accused George Bye of being a pessimist. The energetic and visionary CEO of the Englewood, Colo.-based Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. (AEAC) is more sure every day that the company’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/eaa-airventure/2014-07-27/sun-flyer-hopes-make-solar-flying-popular">all-electric powered Sun Flyer</a> will become a breakthrough aircraft for the future of flight training in the U.S. and around the world. At Sun ’n’ Fun 2016, Bye had several milestone announcements about the Sun Flyer proof-of-concept progress, as well as a new addition to the AEAC board of directors.

 


Bye told AIN that current Jeppesen CEO Mark Van Tine, who is retiring June 30, is now a member of AEAC’s board. Van Tine joins a cast of industry leaders who have agreed to support the company, either with their advice, through an industry advisory board or as a company director.

 


Bye also announced that Orlando, Fla.-based Bloomington Corp., led by Larry Williams, is working with AEAC to set up an infrastructure network of electrical superchargers around the U.S. “Bloomington is committed to 30 Sun Flyer flight training aircraft, as well,” said Bye. “That brings our total orders to 65 today,” he continued.

 


The two-seat Sun Flyer training aircraft is to be certified under Part 21, which limits its maximum gross weight to 1,654 pounds, and is meant for certifying standard training aircraft. The payload (passengers, pilot and bags) will be 440 pounds. “Once the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-03-09/faa-releases-long-awaited-part-23-proposal">Part 23 rewrite</a> is complete there will be room for electric aircraft certification there, and we plan four- and six-seat versions of the aircraft in the future,” said Bye.

 


The proof-of-concept demonstrator has a Slovenian Emrax 100 kilowatt electric engine (130 hp) and South Korean LG chem batteries capable of powering three hours of flight (and that is before additional energy is recovered from its regenerative-energy propeller system and solar wing cells). The Flyer’s estimated cost of operation, including maintenance and recharging, is a little more than $11 per hour. A typical Cessna 172 trainer, costs about $66 an hour to operate. &nbsp;

 


“The Sun Flyer proof-of-concept aircraft's avionics are being installed as we speak,” Bye said. “We expect to have the rollout of the aircraft in the next couple of weeks, with its first flight scheduled in the second quarter,” he continued. AEAC expects to have the aircraft fly in to EAA AirVenture 2016 in Oshkosh, Wis. this summer.

Electric Sun Flyer Progresses, To Fly by Midyear

AEAC is betting on the efficiency of electric to be a game-changer for basic flight training aircraft.

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