eFlyer 2 one step closer to certification
Electric aircraft developer Bye Aerospace announced January 25 that it received FAA approval of the specific methods and measures that the agency will apply to certify the two-seat eFlyer 2, position it to be the first all-electric aircraft to achieve this landmark status.
The eFlyer 2 is designedto be powered by a 150-horsepower Safran ENGINeUS 100 air-cooled 110kW motor. With three hours of range at 73 knots, the company says its aerodynamic efficiency is more than two times that of a typical legacy general aviation aircraft of similar size. Other notable features include a Garmin G500 TXi avionics suite and ASR Soteria whole-aircraft emergency recovery parachute system. Based on the company’s two years of flight tests with the eFlyer prototype, Bye Aerospace said the aircraft in the eFlyer family are expected to have one-fifth the operating cost of traditional airplanes.
Bye Aerospace divided its plan to comply with FAA certification requirements into 16 specific certification plans that encompass all systems, subsystems, and procedures. All 16 submitted in the G-2 paper were accepted by the FAA, meaning that the eFlyer2 is now eligible for a type certificate as submitted. In addition, the company said, the FAA found that “no feature or characteristic of the eFlyer 2 aircraft makes it unsafe for the category in which certification is requested.”
“With this major milestone approved, Bye Aerospace is now poised to enter the testing and compliance demonstration phase of the certification, including the fabrication of eFlyer 2 serial #001, and several production conforming aircraft,” Bye Aerospace CEO George Bye said. “We remain on course to have the world’s first Part 23 Amendment 64 FAA certified fixed wing aircraft.”
