Reykjavik Flight Academy has entered into an agreement to buy three all-electric eFlyer training aircraft from Bye Aerospace, the Icelandic training organization said Monday. The purchase will allow the Iceland-based school to offer the first flight instruction in all-electric aircraft operation in the country.
The agreement calls for Bye to supply a pair of two-seat eFlyer 2 primary training aircraft and a single four-seat eFlyer 4 training aircraft. The parties also continue to negotiate a purchase option on other eFlyers. Bye says it expects to deliver the first eFlyer in two to three years.
Reykjavic Flight Academy cites the eFlyers’ “best available controls” and advanced Garmin navigation equipment, along with the aircraft’s standard-equipment parachute system, as features that “greatly” enhance flight safety.
"Investment in electric aircraft for training is a major step, both in the history of aviation in Iceland in general and as part of environmental initiatives that are currently taking place,” said Reykjavik Flight Academy principal Hjörvar Hans Bragason. “With the new aircraft, Reykjavik Flight Academy will be a leader in its field and will proudly be able to offer first-class equipment for training and instruction. Increased safety, lower costs, and more environmentally friendly options will be a guiding principle in our service to the pilots of the future.”
Bye Aerospace started building series production examples of the eFlyer 2 in January, the first of which the U.S. company started assembling in March and plans to use to support the completion of the final stages of FAA Part 23 type certification. At the start of the year, Bye said it expected to complete type certification of the eFlyer 2 by the end of 2022 and the eFlyer 4 about 12 months later.
The eFlyer2, eFlyer 4, and planned Envoy have attracted purchase agreements for more than 700 aircraft, according to Bye Aerospace.
