Grimbergen airfield explores electric flying
Is electric flying the future? That remains to be seen, but at the recreational airfield in Grimbergen (Flemish Brabant), they are eager not to miss out and have already conducted tests with an electric plane, the Pipistrel Velis Electro.
The first electric plane to touch down at Grimbergen airfield was a single-engine training plane built by Slovenian aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel. Demonstration pilot Robin Moons flew the plane over from Antwerp.
It wasn’t a long flight, as the aircraft was not developed for that. The two-seater can stay in the air for maximum 1 hour. "The flying range marks the big difference between electric flying and flying with conventional fuel," explains Robin Moons.
"A similar aircraft using fuel can easily fly for 5 hours. This aircraft was developed with the main purpose of serving as a teaching aircraft. It offers the same comfort and is quite a bit quieter."
Alternative
The arrival of this electric aircraft at Grimbergen airport is just the beginning. "We need to keep up with the evolution of this aircraft," says Grimbergen airfield chairman René Van Campenhout.
"The EU has already banned some types of petrol. Electric flying is currently the only alternative. Everything is still in its infancy, but we want to get there eventually. We want to be able to properly assess the differences. For instance, we see differences to the propulsion and the wheels of this type of aircraft are also smaller. That means the aircraft acts differently on grass and we have to take that into account."
Patrick Rosseau, Grimbergen airfield’s secretary also sees possibilities for the future: "We hope to use this type of aircraft as a teaching aircraft. After all, trainees starting to fly mainly practise touch-and-gos i.e. landings and take-offs. This aircraft is ideal for that. Around the airport special emission reduction zones are also currently being demarcated. An electric aircraft has no emissions and makes little noise, which is ideal."
"We definitely want to make electric flying possible, but we are not there just yet” says chairman Van Campenhout. "For example, we have asked our energy supplier Total, which also develops charging stations for electric aircraft, to install a system like that here too, as soon as it has been perfected."
"In time, we want to use solar cells to generate our own energy so that in the future we fly as energy-neutral as possible. We are also preparing an application to get approval from the aviation administration to integrate this type of electric aircraft into our training."
