Electric aviation businesses you can start right now

And the aircraft you can build your business around

In a recent post, I compared electrified aviation to the “Tesla Roaster” moment in the EV automotive world. To me, this begs the question, what would a Nissan Leaf look like? Better yet, what about the Model Y?

Today, electric aviation is succeeding and growing rapidly in pilot training, thanks almost entirely to one aircraft, the Pipistrel Velis Electro. It and its predecssor, the Alpha Electro now exceed 1,600 flights per month.

Pipistrel Electro flights per month

Pipistrel Electro exceeds 1,600 flights per month

It has prevented 202 tons of CO2 from entering our atmosphere between September and May if you compare against the popular Cessna 172. If the growth rate continues, we could be at 360 tons mitigated by the end of the year - comparable to taking 75 cars off the road - from one aircraft, with one mission - training pilots.

Velis Electro

Starting a business in electrified aviation right now

If you wanted to start a business in electrified aviation today, your best bet would be training. Charging is simple; chargers can be installed in your hangar or on the aircraft apron can recharge the aircraft between flights, usually within one hour. Its not uncommon to also install chargers at nearby airports to allow point to point flying, but its not necessary given that most training operations are circuits that take off and land from the same airport.

You would have some choices on what to fly:

Pipistrel Velis Electros - this high wing, t-tail, single prop electric ultralight has an advanced liquid cooled battery, fantastic feel and great performance.

• Cruise speed: 167 kmh, 50 minutes endurance + 10 minute VFR reserve, climbs at 647 ft/minute

• EASA type certified

Who is using them?

Several airports around the world are running flight schools with the Electro now. E-Flight Academy in the Netherlands is the largest, operating out of Teuge Airport. This makes Teuge the single biggest airport globally for electric traffic, with a peak of 278 operations in March. They fly multiple Velis Electros - we have 6 separate tail registrations with over 500 hours in our database for this one location.

Beta Technologies flies 5 Velis Electros at Burlington International Airport in Vermont USA as part of an employee training program with hundreds of hours flown

Fly Provence in France flies 5 different Velis Electros at Aix-Les Milles Airfield

Pipistrel Alpha Electros - the OG electric trainer. Cheaper to buy than the newer Velis Electro. Certification status has added friction to its use.

• 157 kmh cruise, 45-60 minutes endurance, climbs at 1,000 ft/minute

Who is using them?

New Vision Aviation in Fresno California flies them out of Fresno Chandler Executive Airport KFCH after quite a wait, they are now have an exemption and fly training runs with the Alpha

Bristell Energic - BRM Aero partnered with H55 to electrify the Czech manufacturers Bristell line.

• 200 kmh cruise speed, 60 minute endurance + 30 minute reserve, climbs at 800 ft/minute

• EASA-CS-23 pending

• Expected to reach certification and begin delivery to customers in 2025 - once it passes this milestone it may give the Pipistrel Velis some real competition due to its higher speed, endurance and likely range.

What might be next?

On the horizon are aircraft capable of cargo and even passenger operations. Some electrified, some hybrid electric, combining traditional combustion and battery driven electric motors. We already see some of these aircraft flying certification and testing programs.