The FAA has granted Part 23 type certification for Elixir Aircraft’s new two-seat training aircraft. The French company announced the approval on Tuesday at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it is seeking to grow its share of the U.S. market.
To date, Elixir has logged more than 300 pre-orders and letters of intent for what it calls a fourth-generation aircraft. In 2020, the model achieved EASA CS-23 certification in Europe, and it has been in demand there with flight schools including Airbus Flight Academy, Leading Edge Aviation, Egnatia Aviation, and ENAC in France.
According to Arthur Léopold-Léger, Elixir’s founder and CEO, the company opted for Part 23 certification to support later plans to get approval for IFR operations. He told AIN that this approach will allow students to experience flying in IFR weather conditions. This announcement about Part 23 type certification came on the same day that the FAA finalized its Mosaic (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) rule.
Elixir, which is headquartered at La Rochelle on France’s West coast, has established a U.S. facility in Sarasota, Florida, that handles sales, customer support, spare parts inventory, and training. Local flight school Cirrus Aviation has signed pre-orders and letters of intent for 12 aircraft, and Sierra Charlie Aviation in Scottsdale, Arizona, expects to take 100 units.