Electric aircraft team sets five world records in long distance Pipistrel flight

A team of electric aircraft enthusiasts has set five world records on a 453nm flight in a Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s only certified electric aircraft.

The flight was from Schänis in the Swiss Alps to Norderney, an island off the North Sea coast of Germany. It was over three days allowing for recharging stops along the route, provided by a ground crew driving two chargers ahead of the aircraft.

The route was easy by aircraft - a straight line - but harder for the two chase cars carrying electric charging equipment!

The results were documented by Swiss ElectroSuisse and have been submitted to the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale):

1. Lowest energy consumption (kWh/100km): 22.76kWh/100km (average)

2. Highest average speed over 700km: 125.217kph

3. Fastest average speed over 100km: 136kph on the route from Lahr Airport to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport

4. Smallest number of intermediate stops over a distance of 700km: 11 (without start and finish)

5. Longest electrically flown route in 24/48/56 hours:

24 hours: 326.878km on the first day (Schänis to Bad Dürkheim).

48 hours: 608.382km on the first and second day (Schänis to Münster-Telgte).

56 hours: 838.956km, the entire distance in this time! (Schänis to Norderney).

Above right A Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s only certified electric aircraft, was used for the flight

Two other records they hoped to set, highest flight altitude ever reached with an electric aircraft and fastest climb rate, were planned for Norderney but could not be flown due to weather.

The finish! A wet day on Nordeney

The team flew a Pipistrel Velis Electro belonging to Swiss flight school owner Marco Buholzer. His flight school, Pitch Power, operates the Pipistrel from the town of Schänis, deep in the Swiss Alps, southeast of Zurich.

Other members of the team included Morell Westermann, Malik Aziz, Tom Albrecht, Tobias Pape, Kerstin Zulechner and Stefan Pieper.

Media interest high at the start in hyper-green Switzerland

Other electric news

n German air taxi pioneer Volocopter is taking bookings for a 15 minute flight. The ticket costs €300 but the flight date and location have not yet been announced. n US startup Ampaire is flying its second hybridelectric prototype prior to starting trials in the islands of Hawaii with a local airline. The aircraft is a Cessna 337 inline twin with the front engine being replaced by Ampaire’s 200kW electric motor. A Continental 310hp IO-550 combustion engine is at the rear. n About 1,000 visitors turned up for this year’s COVID-affected Electrifly-In & Symposium at Grenchen, Switzerland in September to see 14 teams with electric aircraft projects.