Test ride in Pipistrel electric plane

[@samborac46]

So proud of our company! greetings from sLOVEnia everybody

[@benedikt5974]

The gasoline version is an impressive aircraft already but this one is just awesome! In aviation you choose the aircraft by the mission you want to do. This aircraft is for early flight training and it is perfect for that task! Low noise (maybe the most important feature), extremely low running cost and maintenance - for a busy flight school this is the perfect money making machine!

[@aldionsylkaj9654]

There's a dinosaur powered version too? :D

[@propellskalle]

Benedikt HRO I would imagine flight schools would hate the downtime between flights to charge the batteries.

[@benedikt5974]

No, because if you buy a second battery it needs as long to charge as you need to do the checks, taxi, fly the other battery empty and taxi back to the hangar!

[@GaryMCurran]

It would appear that you have to change out six batteries to do that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZqkdXeYmquUpLc I don't know how current that is, but I would think that you would want two extra batteries for each airplane, one fully charged, one in process, and then the one in the airplane. I don't know how much those cost each, but it adds to the cost of the airplane, although not as much as fuel over the long run.

[@Power_DC_Official]

Now Alpha Electro uses 2 packs, not 6.

[@colincomposer]

Most of your videos bring a smile to my face Bjørn, but this one had me grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Thanks for the great content.

[@chazable]

So at cruising at 9:25 in the video the consumption was about ~130wh/km (209wh/mile) that's not too bad at all.

[@FrenchCrow]

Add that cars are HEAVY (and getting heavier for comfort) and planes are designed as light as possible.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

Unfortunately, this airplane is completely useless, it's nothing but a novelty.

[@chazable]

idontcare80 haha, yes airplanes are a complete novelty, im betting on the steam powered personal gyrocopter to launch everyone into the future! :P

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

I didn't say that airplanes were a novelty, I said that THIS airplane is a novelty. It can't fly far enough to be useful. It would take you longer to travel with this airplane than it would to drive the same distance.

[@gregandkaruna6674]

idontcare80 Its a perfect training aircraft, perfect for touch and go landings and should be much cheaper to learn to fly in.

[@Ichibuns]

A 1 hour flight would cost me $2.16 in electricity where I'm from. That alone makes electric worth exploring. That and the reliability and safety considering how many systems that you won't be relying on.

[@bicanoo_magic3452]

Greg There's Only ONE ,moving part in an electric motor.. unlike a combustion engine with thousands of moving parts.. However, what's the one thing that always fails in modern cars... the electronics!!

[@didiergasser-morlay2417]

@@bicanoo_magic3452 Very often due to vibrations and non regulated power source, both can be easily dealt with in an electric environment

[@sashachip]

@@bicanoo_magic3452 electronics rarely fail on planes

[@sashachip]

the issue in costs has to do with the batteries. I believe max battery life is 700 lifecycles, or around 700hrs of flying and I heard from a source that the battery pack is $17k USD to replace. That adds about $24 USD to the hourly cost. Something to consider.

[@mistermister2085]

Bjorn nimbering from Oslo to Trondheim in his electric plane...live streaming the entire way.

[@esenel92]

They first need to develop a trailer that will work behind the plane ;)

[@benkennedy6547]

esenel92 first ever boat transported in open air

[@MarkRose1337]

tesla guy It also works well as a commuter. There's a guy in the Vancouver area using it for that.

[@mrbob9556]

@@adamp.3739 Soon will be midair battery swapping..lol

[@samborac46]

Pipistrel from Slovenia. Pioneers in aviation

[@sherzaiasim]

These guys from Slovenia are amazing designing and flying aircraft of the future..thanks for sharing

[@BarryHenline]

Beautiful little plane. Saw a video of a Pipistrel in Australia that was to be used for pilot training specifically because of the savings on fuel cost! Good job Bjorn!

[@WonderfulWanderingTopics]

Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing.

[@johnanbalagan6286]

Very wonderful e plane 100% electrical thank God for this

[@devonopdendries7722]

That's so cool. I love how ridiculously simple the checklist, instruments and operation is. This thing would be so easy, cheap and fun to fly!

[@Imbrie]

Think of what an electric plane means to reliability and safety. Let's face it: exponentially fewer moving parts means a tremendous improvement in safety.

[@frosty6960]

How often does electro engines fail? .. its such a simple and powerful technology its surprising we havent pushed this earlier

[@jkenny1]

@@frosty6960 it's only been feasible very recently thanks to high energy density lithium ion batteries. It will become much more feasible as better technology improves, and presumably this aircraft could be upgraded right along with it since the batteries are removable.

[@imakevideos5377]

i belive it will be perfect for small cessna type planes, typical boeing will allways be a majority petrol powered, but for the small planes with high energy dencity, it will be perfect

[@Zt3v3]

There are still thousands of parts to fail in any vehicle, no matter the powerplant. I'm all for electric transportation but let's not fool ourselves into thinking an electric powertrain makes something bulletproof. It reminds me of when car owners think that a rebuilt engine makes their car new again..... That said, your post said a tremendous improvement and I'll concede that you're right.

[@islander4986]

Operating costs (maintenance as well as fuel) are also expected to be much lower than with internal combustion power. Probably purchase price too? Assuming technology advances provide cheaper, lighter, and more efficient batteries, this should be great for aviation.

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

beautiful coverage man! this has me excited. i have seen much about these but this puts it in a slightly different perspective. Thanks for the other video with the questions too.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

What's to be excited about? This thing is useless.

[@peterjorgensen3]

@@PistonAvatarGuy No more noisy shaky unreliable gas motors! Freedom to enjoy the skies and zip around in a little spaceship. I can't wait.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

@@peterjorgensen3 A) You can't zip around the sky, because electric aircraft are insanely slow. B) You can barely even leave the vicinity of the airport that you take off from, so you're not going to be enjoying any real freedom. Electric aircraft are an absolutely enormous step backward, so they're about as far from being a spaceship as an aircraft can be. While companies are wasting an insane amount of money and resources on electric aircraft, we could be modernizing gasoline engines, making them more reliable, more efficient, smoother and free of dependence on leaded fuel. People like you are standing in the way of advancement.

[@peterjorgensen3]

@@PistonAvatarGuy Nice username! Made me laugh. I'd absolutely love an electric motorglider... It will be interesting to see how the tech develops. Whatever you call this I want it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/opvFmXqco7qWnqM

[@d7mysterio7]

Wow. I would love to do that. Great video! Wish them all the best on making that plane becoming mainstream.

[@gsp49]

Electric will never be mainstream, unless we have all nuclear power. Too expensive.

[@nickdegroot2445]

How about hypermiling this plane?

[@robertweekley5926]

Nick De Groot - Hypermiling should be Easy, for a qualified Glider Pilot, Ridge Soaring, with Back Up power instantly! It is nearly a Glider in shape and design, already!

[@svesom]

Robert Weekley Maybe you could thermal under a strong cumulus and regain some Energy..

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Altitude

[@mysock351C]

They give the endurance at 60 minutes, so thats about 100 nautical miles.

[@mdemin]

@@mysock351C plus/minus the 45 minute recommended reserve. There electric flying is almost there. It will be perfect with the new demonstrated battery with 5 times the density of current.

[@EinkOLED]

All it needs is supercharger airports. The Indicated airspeed does not indicate the ground speed, only the airspeed into the pitot tube. The plane has to factor in the tail/headwind and pressure to determine the ground speed which in this case was 80 knots due to a headwind.

[@gregandkaruna6674]

EinkOLED Unless it's using GPS then you can get the ground speed. And why need Superchargers, it has quick battery change over. Has multi small packs.

[@danmurphy1994]

I liked, then I unliked and liked the video again 3 minutes in.. I repeated this process a few more times because in this video there several instances that triggered a sudden desire to show my appreciation for how entertained I was. I am enthralled by this Pipistrel. The camera was pointing exactly where I wanted to look the whole time. The pilot has flying skills that were hugely impressive to me having never seen anyone fly with such confidence and eagerness. The desired specifications were provided and there were footnote pop ups doing speed unit conversions freeing my mind up to enjoy being lost in this video. I am still kinda new to the world of aviation, having only delved into learning everything I can about 9 months ago; around when the vision jet was released and (poorly judged) videos started emerging of first flights in vision jets. Also very worthy of note - I watch every bit of aviation content that I can and spend more time than average on KZbin. I'm subscribed to all the major (and minor) channels with aviation focused content and until now I have NEVER seen a video that satisfied my appetite for aviation. So Bjørn I have to say, you are meant to do more of these videos this is a 10/10 best aviation video on KZbin in my opinion. The pilots flying was superb and it fed my hunger to see air speed being put into perspective with solid ground reference as he flew low over the ground at or very near the maximum speed this plane will go safely. He also demonstrated this aircrafts ability to maneuver, dive, climb bank and ACCELERATE from an economy cruise to its maximum rated cruise. I was extremely impressed by the way the Pipistrel's ability to pull away from an everyday cruising speed - given the performance figures - to its flat out maximum with such authority. It would interesting to see more aircraft get put through their paces the way this bad ass put the pipistrel. Thanks for hanging in there Bjørn, I've ridden in a 1950's stunt biplane before over the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyards' coast doing fade aways, nose dives, barrel rolls and somersaults as well as sudden 90 degree turns under hard acceleration. Mind you this was while totally exposed no parachute in a biplane that was decidedly bedraggled from all its use over its 60 year life no doubt much of which spent doing absurd maneuvers at several G. I mean the thing had wood in its construction and when we took off from the GRASS there were disconcerting rattles that upon further inquiry were all normal. Electric or not please do more aircraft flight videos!

[@strahlberger]

That's great for urgent Nimber tasks! :-)

[@troy9er]

That was super cool! I have been an RC pilot flying planes and Helicopters that are all electric for the past 15 years. It’s good to see them progressing into full size planes!!! The cost and technology has really progressed over the last 15 years.

[@davidfranklin5270]

Tusen takk! Pipestrel glider efficiency with electric power! Awesome combination. My friend has a Pipestrel Taurus motor glider with a 35kw petrol fueled engine based in Wallis, Texas. I have had fun flying with him in that glider. This electric powered combination is absolutely amazing.

[@shaunbrookman1049]

Haha Bjorn, I'm not handshake expert, but the length of that handshake at the end, shows you really had fun! Great video mate!

[@wellingtonwhite2546]

Electric planes are the future. I only hope they can bring down the costs of building and buying them. I'm a pipistrel fan now!! Thanks.

[@Muturucgaming]

That plane looks so good :))

[@igeekone]

Awesome! I cannot wait until electric aviation takes off (pun intended).

[@JoseVargas-dx7wz]

Awesome video, Bjorn! It was so fun to watch and amazing to see how an electric thing can fly! I can't forget that when I was a child all documentaries on electric propulsion were always telling us that batteries would not run much more than half an our for a car the size of a children's toy and now you can actually fly on electric power! Amazing!

[@maxon1672]

I really like the clean avionics set up on this.

[@LensEye8]

Now you got my full attention! An aviation enthusiast pilot and a Tesla lover. This will bring down the cost of pilot training to near simulator level😎

[@tobimai4843]

Please stop.... Now I want a Tesla and a Pilots License.... stuff is too expensive... Ok, to be fair I wanted the Pilots license before this Video :P But that Plane is awesome.

[@luisfernandes4145]

Tobimai, i have infinite flight. Not the same, but way cheaper!!! 😜

[@PaulA-zp7hn]

Tobimai I have been waiting for the training to become cheaper (10k euro for combustion planes just isn't feasible) Electric should see that price of training go down by at least 30 percent possibly more. And its way cooler :)

[@Planehazza]

I've wanted a license forever, and have forcing myself to ignore excuses and just go for it. I'm going to start NPPL(M) training soon I hope. Regarding e power, I lease a BMW 530e and driving on batteries has changed the way I think about driving. When it comes to renewal I'm seriously thinking about getting a fully electric vehicle, if not at least another PHEV.

[@darkshadowsx5949]

You can try a paramotor its cheaper and falls under FAR 103 aircraft rules so you dont need an expensive license. Plus you can enjoy the beauty of flight with unobstructed view.

[@philipcooper8297]

Just do it. Ultralight planes licence is cheap and easy enough.

[@dlittlester]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting, Bjorn! There was one of these at our local air show last year, doing some amazing acrobatic stuff. I think it had a small petrol engine though. I can't remember the name of the guy flying it, but I understand he was somewhat a legend in the field.

[@MichaelEricMenk]

Update: in August 2019 the plane lost power and crash into a small lake in Arendal municipality. All walked away from the crash.

[@hombremunoz5143]

i first thought you were jokingXD then i went to look it up and really.. luckily no one got hurt

[@biziluxgames8924]

also, one fatal crash was in 2018 in the Netherlands. Still... Pipistrel is based in the same country as I was born, and hopefully I will have it one day :)

[@TheJettanakorn]

That cool! I am your big fan, from Maerim Chiangmai. I am also on setting up the Sport Thunder electric airplane project in Thailand.

[@Leontestedevorant]

Perfect performance and very nice video congratulations guys.

[@TukaSlave]

This is the best video online for this plane. Great job. One can only fly to where there is a charging station (would automobile ones do the job?) otherwise short flights only. For a recreational pilot, I read that the average flight time is 45 minutes anyway, maybe because most of the owners are older guys with money, but dodgy bladders. But a great plane to own, which blows raspberries from its propellor when it flies close to the ground, but is otherwise silent.

[@kpchannel5419]

a great little airplane but those tight turns less than 500 feet above the ground we're quite worrying is that

[@keithmclean3151]

Super video! Well done Bjørn! I am looking forward to my first flying lesson in a regular 2 seater petrol plane (ha ha!). But electric is definitely the future.

[@JoyplanesRC1]

Pretty cool airplane, I love the efficiency.

That is just SO cool! Amazing, would love for electric planes to go more widespread! Quite jealous you got a ride in it 😜

[@marklarson3934]

The exterior should be covered with micro-thin-solar panels for maintaining the batteries when parked and supplying power to onboard electronics while in-flight.

[@asl3151]

@NonyaBusiness! how much weight would it add?? And how many more minutes can the panels help??

[@drspastic]

@NonyaBusiness! could take about half kilowatt or more of fuji fwave flexirolls at just over 1kg per 100w. would take days to charge but if its just a weekend flyer thats ideal. i wonder how a ducted fan would compare with the prop?

[@ramjet4025]

This has got to be the best electric aircraft trainer yet shown.

[@Joe..3.8.0.9_]

What's the price tag And how well will it glide with no engine power ? Joe

[@pascalbelmas9707]

Really cool video Bjorn ! Thanks for sharing this experience with us !

[@constructioneerful]

I’m guessing you could configure a longer wingspan for more glider-like efficiency... and with that low energy usage get seriously long range?

[@therealchayd]

Wow, that looks like a really fun little plane to fly! Thanks for sharing.

[@martykantz4475]

So how do we go about ordering one of these fine aircraft. And what are the cost. Super video I agree this is the next big step in aviation.

[@P1iMaster]

Never saw you so much impressed Bjørn. :) THX for the video - it was even fun to see you having fun. And yes - electricity offers so much more chances than "only" EVs or E-Bikes.

[@mercury90hp]

The thing sounds like a turboprop on the fly by.

[@acward2007]

Wow what a fantastic aircraft. Having driven electric vehicles and knowing their constraints I can see flying schools becoming more interested as these develop. Could make learning to fly a little less costly at least for anyone wanting to learn in this size of aircraft. Sounds like a turboprop on the flybys, real nice!

[@DustyCowdog]

That was pretty awesome. Technology marches in!

[@troy9er]

I have been flying Electric RC Planes and Helicopters for the last 20 years. Never flew Nitro or Gas like most in my area. 20 years ago I was in a minority now many of the Nitro/Gas flyers have converted. It is so cool seeing full size electrics being put into use!!!

[@luisfernandes4145]

It sounds like a turboprop, without engine noise.

[@egoequus6263]

It's the sound of the oil company's death scream.

[@luisfernandes4145]

Ego Equus, unfortunatly not yet. We have to wait for battery improvement for longer range.

[@egoequus6263]

Luís Fernandes Yeah, I know. But they are already screaming in anticipation. "Stranded assets" is all they talk about in the board rooms lately.

[@steve1978ger]

That is quite fascinating, I didn't realize how much of the sound was coming from the prop itself, rather than the engine.

[@gsp49]

@@egoequus6263 ,oil or coal is used to supply the electricity, dumb comment.

[@welshsteve2009]

Fantastic! I just noticed at 12:46 the radio frequency 123.35 is marked on the roof of the building.

[@easy08154711]

No warmup, no ignition test, no carb ice, but probably also no cabin heating

[@steffenjachnow8176]

I bet you have cabin heating even if the motor isn't running. Lime in an electric car... The consumption of electric heating isn't that high. Maybe 1 - 1,5 kW/h or even less.

[@BigLittlePilot]

Electric engines also get hot...

[@BigLittlePilot]

@@solexxx8588 Even without water. Electric engines heat up too...

[@Horizoncsafaris]

I love you videos but this was leagues above your normal content, outstanding thank you 🙏

[@Jahspecs1]

I didn't know the propeller noise was that much... So in a gas engine plane the propeller noise is more than the engine noise?

[@alpineanubis]

Its electric. In video it sounds loud but in real life its much more silent than normal engine

[@alpineanubis]

But yeah all of the noise is coming from propeller. I wouldnt say its louder than normal tho

[@colla555]

Thanks for showing us! I like that for the instruments they use digital readouts in addition to the analog RPM and IAS.

[@PaulA-zp7hn]

OH here we go, soon Bjorn will be buying one of these and doing: Extreme cold tests, extreme speed tests, sleeping in it, extreme endurance tests :) This will be the spark that ignites the fire

[@MyFlightTV1]

Thanks for the glimpse of aviation's future! Very exciting!

[@nickdegroot2445]

Great video! More of these please!

[@Vokieeeee]

I like this Guy ! He gets so Enthusiastically Exited ! I hope I got the Spelling correct ,lol ! Just finished watching this Video from Start to Finish ! A Wonderful Video , I thoroughly enjoyed it ! Amazing what one finds on KZbin ! Thank You !!

[@RossYoungblood]

Just sold my Cardinal RG this afternoon. I'm sad. This video and my Model X make me happy :).

[@Stoic-of-Rome]

What do you think of this guy doing steep turns so low? I'd have lost my flight instructors ticket If my CFI saw this occur!

[@benedikt5974]

Not only that low but that one about 80° bank @64kts made me and the stall horn cringe.

[@RossYoungblood]

Yeah, I was thinking... gee aren't those maneuvers low to the ground? I started as a sailplane pilot. Certainly they were close enough to land safely throughout, but I would have wanted to do those demo manouvers: 1) Outside the pattern and 2) 3000 feet AGL and above. It seemed the ceiling might not allow #2. I heard the stall warning going off a couple of times I thought... thats not something I would want to practice low to the ground, or get complacent with. But I'm Chicken Pilot. I probably could still get a 3rd class medical with my vision issues, but I grounded myself until I can get them resolved, or re-learn to fly with one eye. So I'm giving up flying rather than risk a bonehead mistake. Bonehead mistake in my Model X...no problem, I'm an idiot. But bone head mistakes in the air...I'm trying to avoid.

[@Stoic-of-Rome]

Yep! incipient spin was very close.

[@RossYoungblood]

That was one where I went... gee, they must have different laws of physics in Norway.

[@josepha.p.2639]

Great video. Feeling like buying one of this already!! But training and getting a pilot license is far more difficult than owning it. Wonder how long/miles it can fly with a fully charged battery.

[@joaohen]

Thank you for this nice video! That's an awesome aircraft!

[@storflor100]

Not so. I am an experienced (flying for 35 years) aerobatic instructor and display pilot on complex aircrafts/warbirds, so happen to know what I am doing, thank you very much. Turns in the video were made ballistically with close to zero G, and the plane is not equipped with a stall warning. All the best. Helge Storflor (pilot in the video & and the world’s first officially certified pilot and instructor on electric planes)

[@joaohen]

storflor100 Thank you for the reply Helge! Phew! From what I saw in the video it really looked liked an unsafe situation, I'm glad you clarified it. I hope you don't get resentful from my comment (I already edited it). I am from Brazil and it is common to see dangerous maneuvers made by crazy pilots here (aircrafts flying under bridges and things like that). I really hope seeing more electric aircrafts in the future. All the best for you too! Fly safe!

[@twentyfoursyc]

Very cool. Asking for trouble 12:38 with that high load turn an such low altitude but. You can hear the stall warning going off.

[@andrews582]

We may be looking at the future of private aviation. I imagine maintenance costs on this aircraft will be much less than conventional planes.

[@oskarrabelius7384]

WOW what a cool plane! Love it! Would love to have one of those! Fantastic efficiency 133Wh/km at 150km/h! That´s going to be hard to beat in any type of transportation!

[@HuibertGuijt]

The future is gonna be awesome

[@dlittlester]

And expensive!

[@HuibertGuijt]

maybe you can watch the previous video from Bjorn, is far cheaper to operate.

[@gsp49]

@@HuibertGuijt , electric vehicles always cost twice as much to operate, any golf car or forklift mechanic will explain it to you. Anybody who thinks electric is cheaper are in for a big disappointment. For example I have an electric bicycle that cost as much as 35 dollars for 6 months of changing, and it hasn't traveled the distance of what one gallon $2 of gas would have done, and now it is about wore out, needs $100 worth of replacement batteries.

[@forfengeligfaen]

Looks amazing. Great job Helge!

[@GeorgeMassalas]

TeslaBjorn: ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, MAN! Very cool :-)

[@chinoodin4735]

Thanks for sharing this impressive electric configuration! Awesome!

[@robviolin1]

We would like to know how many hours can you fly on the battery?

[@dalegreer3095]

Around 1.5 hours, so really 60 minutes of flying and 30 minutes of reserve, unless it's nighttime, then 45 minutes of flying, 45 minutes of reserve. I hope it will be able to upgrade when denser battery tech is available.

[@bjornnyland]

+robviolin1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nanLc3xsgKhghZo

[@robviolin1]

thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

[@robviolin1]

thanks

[@kobehal]

What about putting solar panels on the wings?

[@matthewprather7386]

It's a dream everyone has... Flying for as long as you want without having to fill up or recahrge.. But, watching the video closely you might have seen that even such a small and efficient airplane uses about 20kW (20 000 Watts) of power to maintain 85 miles per hour. Covering the entire wings of the airplane with solar panels could produce about 2kW of power in bright sunlight, which is not even 10% of the power needed to cruise the airplane. And adding the solar cells would have to be done in a way as to not disrupt the airflow over the wings, and also so as to not add significant weight. The technology just isn't there yet.

[@charliec5363]

Hey Bjorn: How is the noise on the pipistrell-e without wearing the headsets?

[@resonatic]

Really cool video man!! I didn't know there were electric planes already. Would be cool when you would get 1000/1500KM range. I also think this is the future!

[@danielhermanus6909]

The perfect trainer really

[@GaryMCurran]

Hardly. What can you do with it other than touch and gos? You can't fly it on a cross country, you only have 60 minutes of battery life. If you destination airport doesn't have a recharging setup, you may be there overnight waiting for the plane to 'slow charge.' Even in a training environment, with a fast charger (and I didn't see any specs on charging and recharging on the Pipistrel website), you still are waiting 60-90 minutes between flights while the batteries are recharging. All that time, you're losing money. It's NOT a perfect trainer by any stretch of the imagination.

[@danielhermanus6909]

Gary C if you're familiar with gliding compare it to the old trainers still widely in use, like K13. Trainers are built for ground handling and pattern training and this plane is perfectly suited for just that. I don't see a problem switching to a ICE plane when you've flown solo and want to fly XC.

[@MrMoccachinoo]

Gary C pilots in training have to learn and practice lots of maneuvers. Flying a straight line is nothing you need to train. Further it’s just the beginning. The first Model T from Henry Ford also couldn’t transport 250 tons of cargo like a CAT can - and it also couldn’t drive more than 400 km/h - but you have to start somewhere with research!

[@GaryMCurran]

Please, think about this from the FBOs point of view, not the actual airplane. The comment that I was replying to was this is 'the perfect trainer.' I say it's not. Here's why. Yes, I agree that if you have two additional batteries, you can expect to fly it all day, in 60 minute increments. Install one battery when the other two are charging. But, you aren't going to carry those two extra batteries with you to change out enroute to anywhere. For sake of discussion, let's assume that this airplane and two additional batteries and charger systems (you'll need two chargers for two batteries) comes to $150,000 USD. Now, lets say the Alpha Trainer uses a Rotax 912 engine that in cruise burns 7 gallons an hour. Everything else is the same. The Alpha Trainer costs $100,000. As a flight school, which would you rather spend your money on? An ecologically friendly 'green airplane' that you can only fly for 60 minutes before having to land and 'refuel' or an airplane with a small internal combustion engine that you can fly for several hours and is only two thirds the cost? As an FBO, profits are razor thin, especially today, and you need to maximize every dollar. But, let's say you're going to spend a bunch of money and buy five new airplanes. Which is your best choice for utilization, spending $750,000 USD for five electrics, batteries and chargers and be limited to less than 30 minute cross countries, buy three electrics and two conventional airplanes $650,000, or buy five conventional airplanes for $500,000? If I was getting some sort of tax deduction on the electrics, I might buy two or three electrics and a couple of conventional engined airplanes, and use them in different scenarios. But, also remember, if you're doing that, your students are going to get confused as they switch back and forth between airplanes. I think it's a great idea, it's green and it's the wave of the future. But, we need to extend the battery life, shorten the recharging time and build an infrastructure of recharging stations. The same with a Tesla, you can only drive it so far before you have to recharge, and if there's not a recharging station nearby, you're sunk.

[@steve1978ger]

@@GaryMCurran - but in this class of very light aircraft, they all have limitations on range. Seems perfectly suitable as a basic trainer, for recreation, or for work commutes or island hoping.

[@steve1978ger]

That is pretty awesome. I wonder if it would be possible to fit it with pluggable battery packs, to increase turnaround time, and also to be able to trade range for cargo capacity?

[@davidvicari5139]

Simplified weight and balance. “full fuel” doesn’t weigh much!

[@7071t6]

The left right ball type adjustment is the trim for the wings i believe which is juts to the right of the radio comms unit display. :)

[@waynerussell6401]

Bjorn - go back for a glider flight on a hot thermal day. Best fun without using any energy after launch apart from that provided by the sun and they are at least rated for aerobatics - stalls , spins and loops. The Pipistrel will make a very economical tow vehicle for glider clubs too. The props for the regen are much wider bladed.

[@esenel92]

It's a great way to show off the progress that has been made. I hate to bring it up again, but in a way, this is where fuel cells could really shine if they are reliable enough with air pressure and temperature changes.

[@fineartz99]

Biggest smiles I've seen from you Bjorn. // Pressurized interior? Highest altitude possible? // Does it have real "Auto Pilot?"

[@Joshua79C]

It is a trainer class airframe so no on the autopilot and pressurized cabin

[@fineartz99]

+Joshua79C C -- Thank you. Appropriate and adaptable niche. Well designed.

[@esunisen3862]

It's VFR only plane, can't go above clouds.

[@fineartz99]

+Esunisen --Ahh, of course. Clarification appreciated.

[@PaulA-zp7hn]

​@@esunisen3862 Why does it have instruments if it is a VFR only plane? VFR is skill limitation, not a plane limitation, isn't?

[@ThePostal67]

Questions come to mind. What is the charging port like? What about winter flying, cabin heat? Can you plug in at any airport? Other then those three it looks great, wish I had taken up flying 60 years ago. One nice thing in case of an accident, no fireball!

[@RubenKelevra]

But, how is the road noise? :)

[@AkiKaivola]

Where they're going .. they don't need roads

[@peterrobannsobrepena6029]

Aki Kaivola 😆

[@pierrez1984]

Is stall warning at 12:40? What is the stall speed of this aircraft at about 70 degree turn which I believe they did?

[@Dimme]

I calculate it around 79 KIAS. Very low (240' GND), slow and dangerous.

[@benhuot6852]

7min of hard flying, 81 % left on the LIPO, not going far, but amazing anyway

[@VideoNOLA]

Seems like rear-engine designs (which already make aerodynamic sense) would be all the more practical for electric aircraft, from the perspective of passenger comfort, range maximization and weight balance.

[@foxkill7]

He is pushing the envelope way to much!😨

[@godfreypoon5148]

I'm sure he pushed an envelope (containing a cheque) in the direction of his insurer.

[@roryblake3232]

Thanks mom

[@ShawnSonnentag]

Great video, Bjorn. I had no idea planes could be so energy efficient.

[@CorentinHarbelot]

Awesome !👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@daseymour1]

Fantastic! Please make a vertical take off version so I can park in my backyard!

[@Stoic-of-Rome]

Beware of meatbombs above!! And wow that's way too low to be doing steep turns.

[@Tuelp01]

Especially at 12:35, when they were like 200ft AGL with 80° bank, only 65 kts and the stall warning goes off...

[@TheodorKK]

Mark Jennings well this pilot is an aerobatic instructor and i think he would know what he is doing...

[@rohanbaty3155]

I used to fly like this when i was young brave and stupid. Flying that low with that angle of bank with the stall warning buzzer going off is dangerous. My guess he s not used to the extra weight of the 2nd person and was taken by surprise. I wouldn t fly with him now that i m older n wiser

[@alfredfeuerstein9517]

Keyboarx Rambos always know better

[@steve1978ger]

​@@ashsmitty2244, trying to shut down the people making a rational argument by denigrating them does not seem particularly grown up to me.

[@jaguar4u]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience 👍👍

[@altergreenhorn]

Here is a lot talking about Tesla I have a fun fact real Tesla namely Nikola Tesla was born less than 100 miles SSE from born place of this Alpha Pipistrel and his first payed job was approx 100 miles E from pipistrel factory

[@cf6282]

Didn’t know that. Hope his legacy transfers to the Pipistrel people.

[@edvinsimic2062]

One of the biggest costs of entering the world of aviation is acctualy the cost of flight training. Pilots pay loan depth long after finishg the flight school, so this is fantastic opportunity for opening the flight experiencce to a wider public.

[@paulschmit4223]

1 hour flight for 2 bucks. I think some people will fall off their chair when they see this.

[@gcolombelli]

Fuel is not the only cost when operating an aircraft, I expect energy isn't going to be the main cost in an electric aircraft either. For starters, the battery pack has a limited number of cycles it can go through before you have to replace it.

[@Kimoto504]

@@gcolombelli An engine has a limited number of hours before you have to rebuild it and I'm certain you'll be rebuilding your engine more than once before a well specified battery needs replacing. Add to that the fact that batteries don't simply "die", they just slowly lose capacity.

[@zanpekosak2383]

@@Kimoto504 I doubt the engine needs rebuilding...its a brushless electric. Those can probably outlive the plane.

[@dopiaza2006]

@Zeksteve My home batteries have a guarantee of 80% minimum of original capacity at 5000 cycles to 90% DoD using LiFePO4 chemistry, that's a lot of flying! What's the kWh rating of the plane battery?

[@gsp49]

@@Kimoto504 ,Ever had an electric golf car? A gasoline golf car is twice as cheap for operating cost. All gasoline vehicles are cheaper than an electric vehicle. Recharging those batteries is going to cost more than whatever the gasoline cost for the same duration, and much, much more in the long run when you figure in the expense of the batteries. This is why electric transportation will never be feasible. Unless you have a gas powered generator on board, as with the locomotives that run on electric.

[@jamestwojames]

10:38 was that a stall warning horn I was hearing in the background? during a steep turn. close to the ground. 😐

[@updownandallaround]

Yeah, I thought the same thing... I also noticed the bank angle in some of the other shots at seemingly low altitude as well. In all honesty, I would have been a little pissed if I were in the second seat... further, a stall can occur at any speed @ critical angle of attack, surpassed, etc. While watching, I was sitting here thinking... wow, if the guy wants to show off the airplane and its capabilities, he should do it solo. Perhaps the footage was a bit deceptive because it was near impossible to gauge the flight path, etc. but some of those shots looked ridiculous to me. I wasn't in the plane, so it's tough to criticize the PIC - but dang, from an outsiders perspective that really looked like he was pushing it.

[@SnowAndrews]

Still waiting to see the Production Version of the Pipistral Paththera Electric-HYBRID. I think Pipistral could use a CASH Injection.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

Hybrid systems make absolutely zero sense in aircraft.

[@SnowAndrews]

How little you know

[@gregandkaruna6674]

idontcare80 Would make flying a lot safer as the electric motor would be much more reliable, and having a battery as well as the engine as a generator would give it the range.

[@SnowAndrews]

www.pipistrel.si/news/most-powerful-hybrid-electric-powertrain-powers-up I have "images" but I can't post images as a "REPLY"

[@SnowAndrews]

Gregory Bell kzbin.info/door/_Cy1NGs-eYqTnDGjLXkQZQ can I send you images somewhere (Pipistel Panthera Hybrid Prototype)

[@britishentertainment7610]

You have great channel Bjorn !

[@imaPangolin]

Pipistrel XYZ declaring an emergency... Atc: say souls on board and fuel remaining....oh nevermind.

[@jasonkiner3275]

Was that the beginnings,faint sound, of a stall horn I heard in the first hard turn banking over the airport?

[@AgentStofftier]

Your vids are amazing but you have to improve your interviews skills ;P

[@bjornnyland]

What's wrong with my interview skills? I like the style.

[@AgentStofftier]

Hi Bjørn, first of all I like the videos you produce and you livestreams, I join in if I can. And also your videos with different kinds of electric power vehicles as the little scooter you got are really interesting and I like to watch them. Maybe I wrote my comment a little bit wrong ('cause it isn't my native language), but I mean more how you lead the interviews especially the endings. It looks like no one has an idea what's going on and you just waiting to the video to end, so you need to take the lead there :) Don't get me wrong, I like the information I get and everything around, but as a moderator of an interview you should end it as you begin it. It's really just the end. Examples: 17:33 or 14:33 in the first video.

[@whywidehide]

Why not an electric fan jet like the RC plane builders are using, only bigger, no exposed prop at all?