- Bye Aerospace introduced the eFlyer 2, an all electric aircraft aimed mainly at flight schools
- The plane costs only €35 to €40 an hour to operate compared with €165 to €175 for conventional trainers
- The eFlyer 2 features a 125 kW electric motor with a roughly 90-kWh battery pack
- The first full-scale prototype completed its inaugural flight on 17 September 2026
- Bye Aerospace holds a backlog of over 410 aircraft orders
Bye Aerospace of Colorado has introduced the eFlyer 2, an all electric aircraft aimed mainly at flight schools. The company states the plane costs only €35 to €40 an hour to operate compared with €165 to €175 for conventional trainers. More than 1,000 orders have already been placed worldwide for the two seat model and a planned four seat version.
The eFlyer 2 features a 125 kW electric motor paired with a roughly 90-kWh battery pack. The company projects a flight endurance of over two hours per charge and a rapid recharge time of under 30 minutes. The aircraft is built with a lightweight carbon composite airframe, a 37.8-foot wingspan, and comes equipped with a modern Garmin G500 TXi avionics suite. Flight schools are the primary target due to an estimated 80pc reduction in hourly operating costs. Traditional legacy training aircraft cost roughly $165 to $175 an hour to operate, whereas the eFlyer 2 is designed to run at just $35 to $40 an hour.
The first full-scale conforming prototype completed its successful inaugural flight on 17 September 2026. It flew for about 5 to 6 minutes out of Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado, under the command of Chief Test Pilot Elliot Seguin. The plane achieved a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA just prior to its flight. It is undergoing rigorous testing for full FAA certification under 14 CFR Part 23. Bye Aerospace already holds a backlog of over 410 aircraft orders from international operators including KLM Flight Academy and Skyborne.
