OSM Aviation has awarded a huge order for commercial electric aircraft. The Norwegian company ordered 60 all-electric planes from the Colorado-based manufacturer Bye Aerospace to be used for training at its flight training centres.

The aircraft type ordered is the two-seater eFlyer 2 with Siemens propulsion, which was previously reported under its former name Sun Flyer 2. So far, Bye Aerospace says it has received a total of 298 prospective customers for its two eFlyer 2 and eFlyer 4 models, including the current order for the 60 eFlyer 2 from OSM Aviation.

In addition to this mega order, according to Bye Aerospace, the Norwegian company Elfly has also increased the number of its advance orders with advance payments – by ten to 18 eFlyer aircraft.

To remember: In April 2018, Bye Aerospace announced the successful maiden flight of the eFlyer 2. In February of this year, the electric aircraft took off for the first time with its 70 kW continuous and 90 kW peak output Siemens engine, which is to be fitted as standard on board.

In principle, the two-seater electric aircraft should be able to stay in the air for up to three and a half hours. The eFlyer 2 was designed for general aviation, but with a special focus on pilot training, where it will score highly as a low-noise aircraft with very low operating costs.

Regarding the name change from “Sun Flyer” to “eFlyer”, George E. Bye, founder and CEO of Bye Aerospace, explains that the latter designation better represents the all-electric propulsion system of the aircraft. “We originally thought solar cells would be standard on the airplane’s wings,” said Bye. “However, with eFlyer’s primary markets being flight training and air taxi services, it makes more sense to make the price of the aeroplane as reasonable as possible.”

osmaviation.com, byeaerospace.com