Test Flight Fleet Has Traveled Over 2,000 Nautical Miles

The fleet of four Pipistrel Alpha Electro aircraft that are slated for flight training through the CALSTART program in California has logged about 125 hours, 100 of those in a single aircraft.

In its more recent newsletter Joseph Oldham, Director of CALSTART San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center, said "I wanted to let everyone know that at 9:11 am PDT this (Tuesday) morning, I completed the first 100 hours of endurance flight testing on Pipistrel Alpha Electro N197AM, Serial # 878 AE 60.

"The last flight was 1.2 hours long and the aircraft had 25% State of Charge reserve at shutdown.  I have personally logged over 125 hours across all four of our Alpha Electros’ and traveled over 2,000 nautical miles in the aircraft without any failures of the electric motor or battery system."

Pipistrel said that completion of 100 hours simulated flight training under FAA supervision in the U.S. will be followed later this week by Australia’s Electro Aero, which will pass 100 hours of real flight training in Australia. Electric aircraft are already approved for operation in the LSA category in that country.

Performance of the Alpha Electro 2-seat electric trainer is tailored to the needs of flight schools, according to Pipistrel. Short take-off distance, powerful 1000+ fpm climb, and endurance of one hour plus reserve. The Alpha Electro is optimized for traffic-pattern operations, where 13% of energy is recuperated on every approach, increasing endurance and at the same time enabling short-field landings.

(Source: Pipistrel. Image from file)

FMI: www.pipistrel.si