Hello everyone,
I’m planning on starting flight training in August, and one of the things I’m interested in is flying electric aircraft. I know that the Pipistrel Velis Electro is used for student pilots, so I am wondering if ATP owns any or many of these aircraft.
Kobi
Kobi,
ATP does not own or operate any electric aircraft. The technology is simply not where it needs to be for electric aircraft to make suitable training aircraft.
Chris
Kobi,
While the Velis is a neat airplane, ATP doesn’t have any nor do I see any in their immediate future. The Velis is LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) and is only certified in the US as “experimental”. It also has a ridiculously short range of only 108nm making it very impractical for cross country flying.
ATP has the largest fleet of Piper and Cessna airplanes of any flight school in the US. All are fully certified and have been the training aircraft for the vast majority of pilots around the world. If I were looking to invest $90k into my future career, I wouldn’t want to do it in an experimental airplane no matter how cool it is.
Maybe one day but right now the technology still isn’t there.
Adam