South Australia's Eyre to There Aviation plan to build electric planes in Adelaide for the big pilot training market
Eyre to Theatre Aviation's Barrie Rogers with one of the electric aeorplanes his company had imported and home to manufactur in Adelaide.
Adelaide’s Eyre to There Aviation was set in 2020 to be Australia’s first manufacturer of electric aircraft after an agreement with a European designer.
Eyre to Theatre Aviation managing director Barrie Rogers, who previously managed Parafield and Port Lincoln airports, said his fully electric aeroplane, designed by Pipistrel in Slovenia, was set to take off in the flight training market. After initially importing 15 assembled aircraft, it had plans for an assembly line in Adelaide to make up to 100 aircraft a year.
A key driver in the venture was Australia being ahead in regulations for flying the electric aircraft that were ideal for the 250-plus registered flight schools in Australia. Australia was the only country already certifying electric aircraft for training. Electric aircraft are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, significantly quieter than conventional aircraft and don’t rely on fossil fuels. They also were ideal for short-range flight training.
Eyre to There Aviation would be Australia’s irst electric aircraft manufacturer. The electric aircraft industry was previously hampered by the weight of the battery but technology had reduced it to a size making it commercially viable. Electric aircraft didn’t yet have the flight range of other aircraft but they were perfect for short training and particularly circuit training that was about 25% of the beginner phase involving takeoffs and landings close to airfields.
The time range for the Pipistrel Alpha Electro was one hour plus a 30-minute reserve. The 6.5m long aircraft could climb 1,220 feet per minute and had a cruising speed of 157km/h.
The timing for introducing the low-cost zero-emissions electric aircraft also had in mind the average age of a small single engine aeroplane in Australia at 36.4 years with many nearing the end of their life. About 3400 training aircraft were being used by flight schools in Australia.
