Modern Flying Sustainability Training and Proficiency

Santa Monica Flight School to Deploy Pipistrel Velis Electro Trainer

Electric LSA is the only such aircraft certified for flight instruction in the U.S.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 01:17 PM ET

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Pipistrel’s Velis Electro became the world’s first—and currently the only—electric aircraft to receive full type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020, and it earned its UK CAA TC in 2022. [Courtesy: Pipistrel]

Key Takeaways:

The Eco-Aviation Foundation International has received the first Pipistrel Velis Electro, the only electric light sport aircraft certified for flight instruction in the U.S.
This electric aircraft will be used by Proteus Air Services for pilot training, offering a lower-cost, quieter, and zero-emission platform to train students on next-generation power systems.
Beyond flight training, the Eco-Aviation Foundation plans to establish an Eco Flight Ground School and offer scholarships to inspire and educate community members, particularly youth, about careers in sustainable aviation.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Eco-Aviation Foundation International, a Santa Monica, California-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting green aviation, has taken delivery of the first Pipistrel Velis Electro, the only electric light sport aircraft certified for flight instruction in the U.S.

Pipistrel is part of the Textron eAviation segment of Textron Inc. According to Textron, the Velis Electro received full type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020, followed by an FAA exemption earlier this year that permits it to be used for flight training.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.