George Bye
Bye Aerospace, CO, USA
Title: Electric-powered Flight Training: Disruptive Ops-Costs; Practical Pilot Training
Biography
Biography: George Bye
Abstract
The primary challenges for flight training to address the global commercial pilot shortage include cost, noise, emissions, and the age of training aircraft (over fifty years old). For the past ten years, Bye Aerospace has been developing electric-powered aircraft, during which time battery-powered technology, electric motors, solar cells, and software that manages electric propulsion systems have advanced significantly. Flight endurance can now be measured in hours, rather than minutes. Efficient light-weight electric motors and controllers are combined with lithium-ion batteries whose cells are configured in packs, which can be recharged quickly and efficiently. The second element is a sleek, light carbon fiber structure, low-drag fuselage with efficient long-wing (high aspect ratio) advanced aerodynamics. Bye Aerospace is combining these elements to develop the two-seat eFlyer 2 aircraft, which will be certified under Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 23, day-night visual flight rules (VFR), and later instrument flight rules (IFR) with a target gross weight of 2,000 pounds. The eFlyer 2’s advanced aerodynamics result in a high-performance aircraft that will not compromise performance, given a projected max speed of 135 knots and climb rate of over 1,000 feet per minute.