In April 2019, we placed an order for 60 all-electric planes from Colorado-based aircraft manufacturer Bye Aerospace – the largest order for commercial electric planes to date. The electric planes, E-Flyer 2, will be used for training at the OSM Aviation Academy flight training centers to qualify pilots for the future on sustainable wings. The first planes will be delivered by the end of 2021, making it a smooth transition into going all-electric.
About Bye Aerospace:
Bye Aerospace is developing the eFlyer family of aircraft, which brings the full promise of electric propulsion to the market with safety, practicality, and reliability. The all-electric system requires no aviation fuel and results in zero emissions and significantly lower noise pollution compared to conventional aircraft. The sleek design also features enhanced speed and altitude performance with extremely low operating costs.
About the eFlyer2
The eFlyer2 from Bye Aerospace in Denver offers zero-emission and significantly lower noise pollution compared with conventional aircraft, along with enhanced speed and altitude performance. Høiby predicts that it is only a matter of time before electrical planes enter into commercial use in international air travel. He says the industry needs to be both proactive and innovative in order to keep up.
The eFlyer family of aircraft, including the 2-seat eFlyer 2 and the 4-seat eFlyer 4, aims to be the first FAA-certified, practical, all-electric airplanes to serve the flight training and general aviation markets. Siemens will provide electric propulsion systems for the eFlyer 2 airplane. It is powered by a 90-kilowatt electric motor and features lithium-ion batteries, much like electric cars. The motor weighs a mere 20 kilos, about 90 kilos less than the combustion engine powering the Cessna 172 currently used by OSM Aviation Academy.
Key Features include Li-Ion batteries, thin-film photovoltaics, advanced efficient propulsion system – GPS, electric autopilot and servo-control – Proprietary ISR sensor gimbal with daylight and low light video optics – Gross weight in the 30 lbs weight class with a cruise up to 138 knots – Flight Endurance 5 to 7 hours.
Changing the Game
It costs $110 per hour to operate a conventional trainer now. The eFlyer 2 electric planes will cost only $20 per hour to operate. OSM Aviation is committed to socially responsible and sustainable business.
OSM currently has just over 20 planes for pilot training, mostly Cessna 172s, which it plans to phase out. Pilots will receive the same training and the same license that they currently get from flying conventional planes. This two-seat aircraft will change the way pilots train. The cost-efficient aircraft will enable new pilots to train without prohibitive fuel costs.
Expanding
This order will not only be a transition for OSM Aviation but also an expansion, as the fleet will be multiplied by three. The twenty planes currently used will be progressively phased out. The training company plans on conquering other markets, including the United States.
Green Aviation
Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden have been active in reducing the impact of aviation on the environment. In April 2018, Sweden introduced a new aviation tax on all flights departing from the country in order to lessen the impact air travel has on the environment.
Motivated by its success with green cars, encouraged by big tax breaks that made it the world leader in electric cars, Norway announced that it planned to buy electric passenger planes to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment.
It’s important that the airline industry steps up to the challenge of developing more environment-friendly transport. At OSM Aviation, we’re committed to pursuing a socially responsible and sustainable business.
While Norway is ambitious to use only electric planes for short-haul flights by 2040, OSM Aviation CEO, Espen Høiby, predicts that it is only a matter of time before electrical planes enter international commercial travel. And much like Scandinavian governments, he thinks that the industry should be proactive in that transition.
With electric flight offering not only reduced carbon emissions but also noise pollution, as well as superior speed and altitude performance, the electrification of the aviation industry is inevitable.
