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By training, do you mean for training beginner pilots? I would think there's a lot of benefit from learning on aircraft similar to what you'd pilot post-trainin

By training, do you mean for training beginner pilots? I would think there's a lot of benefit from learning on aircraft similar to what you'd pilot post-training.

jrockway 6y ago
The fundamentals of flying can be learned in any aircraft. Pilots are already trained on "trainer" type aircraft, because they are more forgiving and more economical to operate than aircraft designed for another task. Yes, changing types will require some training, but it's a big savings if you can get your PPL in a plane with an operating cost of $1/hour. If you look at vendors that are selling production electric aircraft, they claim 70% savings on training operations. That's a big deal. (Link: https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/aircraft/electric-flight/alpha-electro/ https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/aircraft/electric-flight/...)
bityard 6y ago
Almost every pilot starts their training in a Cessna because the basics of flight apply to every aircraft, and operating a small simple aircraft is far less cognitive load than sitting in the glass cockpit of a jumbo jet. An electric plane removes the complexity of operating the engine which is not insubstantial, even in the smallest of general aviation aircraft.
- dreamcompiler 6y ago
  I kind of hate Cessnas. They feel dramatically underpowered to me. Sailplanes OTOH feel great because they have no engine at all. It--focuses the mind. I've probably learned a lot more about pure flying from sailplanes than from Cessnas. It just feels safer to me to have no engine and a good glide ratio than a small (potentially unreliable) engine and a poor glide ratio. Of course nobody's going to be commuting in a sailplane, but they're awesome for pure fun and learning piloting skills.
GuB-42 6y ago
Managing the engine is not the most important part of flying, especially for ultralight aircraft. And in fact, the best pilots tend to be also experienced glider pilots. Also, one specificity of ultralight flying, or at least the way I was taught, is to not trust the engine, no matter how reliable it is supposed to be. One aspect is to make the final approach unpowered. Of course, the engine is still running, but ideally, you should pull the throttle all the way back and leave it here, as if the engine had failed. This is in contrast to the 3° slope commonly taught in general aviation. Of course, a pilot who only flew on an electric plane needs some time with a flight instructor in order to learn the quirks of gas engines, but that should be quick compared to the time it takes to actually learn how to fly.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- generatorguy 6y ago
  There are no go arounds in a glider!
mbrameld 6y ago
There's not. Airline pilots don't start out in airliners. They don't even start in turbine-powered aircraft. They usually don't even start in multi-engine aircraft. That's because learning how to fly is hard enough without also learning to operate a very complicated machine. Learning to fly at its most basic is much more than just stick-and-rudder skills. There is a lot of information to learn, procedures, airspace, radio work, etc. It's best to learn how to fly in the simplest safe aircraft possible. Then when you have to learn to operated a very complicated machine you don't even have to think about the flying part. Complex aircraft are also much more expensive per flight hour, so it makes sense to learn on the cheapest safe thing you can fly then let your employer foot the bill for the type rating.

By training, do you mean for training beginner pilots? I would think there's a lot of benefit from learning on aircraft similar to what you'd pilot post-training.

jrockway 6y ago

The fundamentals of flying can be learned in any aircraft. Pilots are already trained on "trainer" type aircraft, because they are more forgiving and more economical to operate than aircraft designed for another task. Yes, changing types will require some training, but it's a big savings if you can get your PPL in a plane with an operating cost of $1/hour. If you look at vendors that are selling production electric aircraft, they claim 70% savings on training operations. That's a big deal. (Link: https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/aircraft/electric-flight/alpha-electro/ https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/aircraft/electric-flight/...)

bityard 6y ago

Almost every pilot starts their training in a Cessna because the basics of flight apply to every aircraft, and operating a small simple aircraft is far less cognitive load than sitting in the glass cockpit of a jumbo jet. An electric plane removes the complexity of operating the engine which is not insubstantial, even in the smallest of general aviation aircraft.

dreamcompiler 6y ago
I kind of hate Cessnas. They feel dramatically underpowered to me. Sailplanes OTOH feel great because they have no engine at all. It--focuses the mind. I've probably learned a lot more about pure flying from sailplanes than from Cessnas. It just feels safer to me to have no engine and a good glide ratio than a small (potentially unreliable) engine and a poor glide ratio. Of course nobody's going to be commuting in a sailplane, but they're awesome for pure fun and learning piloting skills.

GuB-42 6y ago

Managing the engine is not the most important part of flying, especially for ultralight aircraft. And in fact, the best pilots tend to be also experienced glider pilots. Also, one specificity of ultralight flying, or at least the way I was taught, is to not trust the engine, no matter how reliable it is supposed to be. One aspect is to make the final approach unpowered. Of course, the engine is still running, but ideally, you should pull the throttle all the way back and leave it here, as if the engine had failed. This is in contrast to the 3° slope commonly taught in general aviation. Of course, a pilot who only flew on an electric plane needs some time with a flight instructor in order to learn the quirks of gas engines, but that should be quick compared to the time it takes to actually learn how to fly.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
generatorguy 6y ago
There are no go arounds in a glider!

mbrameld 6y ago

There's not. Airline pilots don't start out in airliners. They don't even start in turbine-powered aircraft. They usually don't even start in multi-engine aircraft. That's because learning how to fly is hard enough without also learning to operate a very complicated machine. Learning to fly at its most basic is much more than just stick-and-rudder skills. There is a lot of information to learn, procedures, airspace, radio work, etc. It's best to learn how to fly in the simplest safe aircraft possible. Then when you have to learn to operated a very complicated machine you don't even have to think about the flying part. Complex aircraft are also much more expensive per flight hour, so it makes sense to learn on the cheapest safe thing you can fly then let your employer foot the bill for the type rating.