The province’s first all-electric training aircraft has arrived, and it aims to lay the groundwork for sustainable aviation in Canada, according to a flight school.
The Velis Electro embarked on a three-month journey from production in Slovenia to its new home with Sealand Flight in Campbell River. It showed up in pieces but was assembled in under an hour.
With the new aircraft in their possession, they will be working to finalize the charging infrastructure and get clearance from the Flight Authority before its inaugural flight.
“The collective excitement of Sealand’s staff, customers, and supporters is immense. We are ecstatic that the capability for zero-emissions flight is now in our hangar,” said pilot and spokesperson Mike Andrews.
“At the same time, we are continuing to press forward to meet our innovative objectives with the airplane. We’re working closely with national and regional representatives of Transport Canada, preparing our Velis Elector to fly, and subsequently initiating their nationwide trial program – evaluating the viability of electric aircraft in flight training.”
Sealand says it will welcome technicians from Pipistrel, the aircraft manufacturer, to host a week-long maintenance training course. Members of Transport Canada will also be attending.
“This is a unique opportunity for Canadian members to learn more about the integration of electric aircraft into the existing framework of aviation, and to be positioned as global leaders while aviation technology advances,” added Sealand.
Sealand says it is looking forward to its first flight soon.
