Last year, Bye Aerospace's Sun Flyer 2 took to the skies for the first time, and now the renamed eFlyer 2 has flown past another milestone towards FAA certification. A high power motor has now been installed, and a new phase of testing commenced.
Bye Aerospace started developing a two-seater all-electric training aircraft in 2014. As of December last year, the company had received 220 deposits from potential customers, which were evenly divided between the eFlyer 2 and eFlyer 4 programs.
Following successful low power test flights earlier this year, the company has now installed a new 57 lb (25.8 kg) Siemens SP70D production motor in the prototype flyer – which has a peak rating of 90 kW (120 hp) and a continuous power setting of 70 kW (94 hp).
"During the prototype eFlyer 2 flight tests that began on July 17, the new Siemens production motor met or exceeded expectations in all performance indicator areas," said CEO George E. Bye. "These important tests are validating the eFlyer's incredible operating economy, efficiency, and performance while producing no CO2."
An additional battery pack was also fitted into the aircraft, and a new three-blade Hartzell propeller is being evaluated. Other updates include a new spinner, a charger plug-in port and a fresh cowling.
A new round of testing is underway, all geared toward FAA certification for flight training and general aviation markets. The video below shows the new configuration in flight.
Source: Bye Aerospace
