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This is amazing for rural communities and student pilots. And if it became safely possible to run the plane with just one pilot onboard for commercial service,

This is amazing for rural communities and student pilots. And if it became safely possible to run the plane with just one pilot onboard for commercial service, this lower cost plane would have even more potential. Up to 40 minutes for charging could be an issue for airlines who want to turn planes around quickly, though I doubt Cessna operators are striving for Ryanair economics yet.

Gibbon1 6y ago
I think if you were able to get the range up to 250-300 miles that would be a very big deal for far flung communities. All of those are underserved by air transport. Offhand thought is you probably could justify small pilotless freight aircraft.
AdrianB1 6y ago
The number of pilots has no correlation with the electric propulsion. For student pilots it is not amazing, in the flight school you need to do a raid (this is how it is called on this side of the ocean) flying between 3 cities and 500 miles minimum; you cannot do it with the electric plane and as a student you are not good enough to fly a different plane model (with ICE power plant) just for the raid, so you cannot complete the school.
- inamberclad 6y ago
  You'll still be able to do most of your pattern work and general handling training in vastly cheaper electric aircraft.
  - AdrianB1 6y ago
    Then what do you do, transition on a different plane during school? At that point you will need a full 45 hours or more on the second plane, negating the cheaper first plane.
    - inamberclad 6y ago
      No you won't, there's no requirement to do the 40 hours for a US private pilot certificate in the same aircraft type.
      - AdrianB1 6y ago
        This is what it takes to learn to fly a plane; if you want to learn to fly 2 planes in the flight school, you cannot do it in the regular 45 hours, it will take you over 60 hours if you are good, over 80 hours for most people.
        inamberclad 6y ago
        I flew multiple aircraft in the same class and category while doing my PPL and had no problems. At this point there's old enough that's there's nearly as many differences between two C-172s as there are with a C-172 and a PA-28. Yes, it took me more than 40 hours but I blame that on scheduling, not the aircrafts.

Gibbon1 6y ago

I think if you were able to get the range up to 250-300 miles that would be a very big deal for far flung communities. All of those are underserved by air transport. Offhand thought is you probably could justify small pilotless freight aircraft.

AdrianB1 6y ago

The number of pilots has no correlation with the electric propulsion. For student pilots it is not amazing, in the flight school you need to do a raid (this is how it is called on this side of the ocean) flying between 3 cities and 500 miles minimum; you cannot do it with the electric plane and as a student you are not good enough to fly a different plane model (with ICE power plant) just for the raid, so you cannot complete the school.

inamberclad 6y ago
You'll still be able to do most of your pattern work and general handling training in vastly cheaper electric aircraft.
- AdrianB1 6y ago
  Then what do you do, transition on a different plane during school? At that point you will need a full 45 hours or more on the second plane, negating the cheaper first plane.
  - inamberclad 6y ago
    No you won't, there's no requirement to do the 40 hours for a US private pilot certificate in the same aircraft type.
    - AdrianB1 6y ago
      This is what it takes to learn to fly a plane; if you want to learn to fly 2 planes in the flight school, you cannot do it in the regular 45 hours, it will take you over 60 hours if you are good, over 80 hours for most people.
      - inamberclad 6y ago
        I flew multiple aircraft in the same class and category while doing my PPL and had no problems. At this point there's old enough that's there's nearly as many differences between two C-172s as there are with a C-172 and a PA-28. Yes, it took me more than 40 hours but I blame that on scheduling, not the aircrafts.