After much anticipation, our all-electric Pipistrel Velis Electro arrived in Campbell River. Aiming to lay the groundwork of sustainable aviation in Canada, the airplane embarked on a three-month-long journey, from production in Slovenia to its new home here on Vancouver Island.
Sealand leaders, pilots, and maintenance engineers shared the monumental experience of unboxing and assembling the zero emissions aircraft for the first time. Out of the container and into one piece, the airplane was assembled in under 60 minutes. The remainder of the day was spent exploring and marveling at the newest addition to our aircraft fleet.
The collective excitement of Sealand’s staff, customers, and supporters is immense. We are ecstatic that the capability for zero-emissions flight is now in our hangar. At the same time, we are continuing to press forward to meet our innovative objectives with the airplane. We’re working closely with national and regional representatives of Transport Canada, preparing our Velis Electro to fly, and subsequently initiating their nation-wide trial program—evaluating the viability of electric aircraft in flight training.
Completion of several key steps is now our focus, as we prepare for the inaugural flight of the electric training aircraft. These requirements include finalizing our aircraft charging infrastructure in Campbell River, a Canadian importation process, and the issuance of a Flight Authority for the airplane to be legally cleared to fly.
