The Campbell River-based Sealand Flight is set to launch the first-ever commercial electric aircraft flight in Canada on June 14, 2024.
The Mid-Island flight school took possession of an all-electric aircraft back in February and is ready to welcome its first customer for an introductory flight lesson in their Pipistrel Velis Electro.
In 2022, Transport Canada created a pilot program called the ‘Electric Airplane Trial Program’ and sent proposals to flight schools interested in adopting electric aircraft and evaluating their capabilities and limitations.
Sealand Flight answered the call and in 2023 was granted an exemption to use the the state-of-the-art Slovenian aircraft for training.
On its website, Pipistrel markets the Velis Electro as “the greenest way of learning to fly.” It says the two-seater plane, intended primarily for pilot training, has a 57.6kW liquid-cooled electric engine with noise noise levels of 60 dBa.
It says the plane’s battery allows for 50 minutes of flying.
Skies Mag says the first Velis Electro in Canada took to the skies in 2022, as part of a partnership with Transport Canada to evaluate battery-powered electric flight.
Since acquiring the electric aircraft, Sealand has conducted a maintenance training course from Pipistrel to get it ready for June 14.
Applications are now open for the first ever recipient of the pioneering flight from Sealand.
To qualify, applicants must have no previous flight experience and submit a written piece, under 300 words, explaining why they want to learn to fly in an electric airplane.
Submissions can be made to [email protected], and the winner will be chosen and contacted by June 12.
This will be the first time in Canada that a person can purchase a commercial flight and handle the controls under the guidance of a flight instructor.
The cost of this flight lesson will be $20 for the selected candidate.
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