Elixir Awaiting FAA Part 23 Certification For Its 4th Gen Trainer

Elixir Aircraft, a French general aviation manufacturer, recently signed a Letter of Intent with Buiqui Aerospace for the sale of 35 trainers. The new rides will be put to work at Buiqui’s flight school in Orlando, Florida, once they receive FAA Part 23 certification.

Executives from Buiqui and Elixir opened discussions at the EAA’s annual AirVenture Oshkosh airshow last July. Buiqui co-founder and CFO Georgie Buitron was quickly impressed by the design’s affordability, safety, and sustainability.

“The Elixir is tailored for professional flight training, boasting significant safety enhancements, a reduction in carbon emissions by up to 70% compared to older aircraft, and a design that minimizes maintenance time, allowing more flight hours for our students,” noted Buitron.

Elixir Aircraft was founded in 2015 in La Rochelle, France. The manufacturer is best known for its 4th generation trainer, which was certified by EASA under CS-23 in 2020. It is still waiting on the FAA’s green light, however. 30 Elixir aircraft are in service worldwide, and 300 more orders have been tallied.

The 4th generation trainer was specially developed for modern flight training needs. It uses a single-piece, molded carbon fiber airframe called the “Carbon Oneshot” that leaves less room for failures, simplifying production and maintenance. It features a ‘spin resistant’ wing, an explosion-proof fuel tank, and a BRS parachute. The aircraft also has oleo-pneumatic landing gear, like many of today’s trainers, to accommodate the infamous student pilot tooth rattlers (we’ve all been there).

“The Elixir being best in class globally for its extremely low operating cost of around 50$ per hour, fuel and maintenance, as well as for its carbon airframe with no life expectancy,” added Elixir co-founder Cyril Champenois. “These features make it a perfect aircraft economically for Buiqui Aerospace, but also technically in hot and humid regions such as Florida.”

Buiqui plans to base the trainers at its Orlando flight school, which is one of three locations in the organization’s network. The company has trained over 350 students worldwide and holds connections with more than 10 carriers.

FMI: https://buiqui.com, https://elixir-aircraft.com