Bad Vöslau: First electric plane takes off

Austria's first electric aircraft "Velis Electro" (Photo: Flughafen Wien AG).
Austria's first electric aircraft "Velis Electro" (Photo: Flughafen Wien AG).

Bad Vöslau: First electric plane takes off

Austria's first electric aircraft "Velis Electro" (Photo: Flughafen Wien AG).
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The OE-ACW, the first electric aircraft licensed in Austria, took off from Bad Vöslau Airport in Lower Austria. The operator of the two-seater is the Watschinger flight school.

The electricity required to operate the electric drive comes from the photovoltaic system on the hangar roof and the electric motor is absolutely quiet. The Watschinger flight school uses the e-plane as part of the pilot training for so-called “circumstance training”, where take-offs and landings are practiced and only short flight circuits are completed over the area.

The presentation of the electric aircraft was carried out in the presence of Austro Control Managing Director Philipp Piper, Flight School Director Georg Watschinger and Vienna Airport Board Member Günther Ofner. “At Vienna Airport we not only talk about climate protection strategies, we also implement them. Together with the project operator and the approving authority, it was possible to achieve real benefits for the population and the climate. This makes this project a prime example of how effective climate protection works: through the use of new technologies, solution-oriented decisions and the creation of framework conditions that promote innovation," says Vienna Airport Board Member Günther Ofner.

The two-seater electric aircraft of the type "Velis Electro" from the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel is used: prospective pilots use it to practice take-offs and landings and complete short sightseeing flights, so-called "circles around the airfield". Thanks to the aircraft’s absolutely quiet electric motor, there is no noise pollution for the residential areas below and there are no CO2 emissions either: The motor works purely electrically, the electricity required for this comes from the photovoltaic system on the roof of the hangar building at the airfield. The possible flight duration is about 50 minutes, which is absolutely sufficient for training use. While the machine is fully charged in about 90 minutes, the pre- and post-workout briefings take place. With "Velis Electro", the Watschinger flight school has the world's first electric training aircraft that is fully approved for pilot training in day-to-day operations.

“Effective climate protection only works through technological innovations. This requires framework conditions that promote innovations, but still prioritize safety. As the approval authority, we follow this approach and are proud that together we have succeeded in setting a new milestone for climate protection in Austrian aviation with this project," say Valerie Hackl and Philipp Piber, Managing Directors of Austro Control.

dr Günther Ofner, CEO of Flughafen Wien AG; Georg Watschinger, Managing Director of the Watschinger flight school; Mag. Philipp Piber, Managing Director of Austro Control in front of Austria's first electric aircraft (Photo: Flughafen Wien AG).

"This e-plane is perfect for our flight school operations: We can use it to carry out the training flights free of CO2 and noise emissions and therefore absolutely climate-friendly and friendly to residents. Thanks to the support from Vienna Airport and the good cooperation with Bad Vöslau Airport and Austro Control, we are Austrian and even European pioneers,” says Georg Watschinger, Managing Director of the Watschinger Flight School.

Comment

  • Kranawett Sepp, 8. May 2022 @ 21: 20

    Good day!
    Unbelievable, now the electric drive is already in the air! Naturally
    only in light aircraft and for short flights. But reloadable directly from
    the hangar's own PV system. No eFuel or hydrogen plane can do that.

    This is how the future works, one I can look forward to...

    Sincerely

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Editor of this article:

René Steuer is an editor at Aviation.Direct and specializes in tourism and regional aviation. Before that, he worked for AviationNetOnline (formerly Austrian Aviation Net), among others.
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René Steuer is an editor at Aviation.Direct and specializes in tourism and regional aviation. Before that, he worked for AviationNetOnline (formerly Austrian Aviation Net), among others.
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Information should be free for everyone, but good journalism costs a lot of money.

If you enjoyed this article, you can check Aviation.Direct voluntary for a cup of coffee Coffee trail (for them it's free to use).

In doing so, you support the journalistic work of our independent specialist portal for aviation, travel and tourism with a focus on the DA-CH region voluntarily without a paywall requirement.

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Comment

  • Kranawett Sepp, 8. May 2022 @ 21: 20

    Good day!
    Unbelievable, now the electric drive is already in the air! Naturally
    only in light aircraft and for short flights. But reloadable directly from
    the hangar's own PV system. No eFuel or hydrogen plane can do that.

    This is how the future works, one I can look forward to...

    Sincerely

Leave a Comment

Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked with * marked

This website uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn more about how your comment data is processed.

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