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Aircraft lessor Skye Aviation has ordered&nbsp;15 of Bye Aerospace's new eFlyer 800 electric aircraft, provisionally increasing the manufacturer's order total&nbsp;to 800. According to company founder and CEO George Bye, each order&nbsp;for the nine-seat fixed-wing aircraft is backed by a $25,000 deposit, and the purchase price for the model is expected to be around $6 million when it enters service in 2025.
Announced earlier this year, the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/eflyer">eFlyer</a> 800 is being designed to carry seven passengers and two pilots with a range of 575 miles&nbsp;and speeds to 368 mph. It will be powered by a pair of dual-wound Safran Engineus electric motors&nbsp;with battery packs designed to recharge within 20 to&nbsp;30 minutes. The batteries are divided into four packs, two in the aircraft floor and one in the rear of each electric motor on the wings.&nbsp;
According to Bye, there is a high degree of safety redundancy between the two battery packs with a power management system determining available power levels. "This is literally a four-motor airplane with two props and a four-fold electric storage system," Bye explained. "The key thing here is that this is a three-hour airplane. It’s a thoughtful integration of a whole [system]&nbsp;as opposed to just chucking in batteries of a certain technology—sophisticated&nbsp;yet simple and redundant systems integrated into a structure that is incredibly sleek. This has a lift-over-drag ratio of about 20 to one.”&nbsp;
Bye said the aircraft would use a proprietary design for the battery packs and thermal management system. “The secret sauce is how the cell is packed, the thermal management, and how you maintain safety. The decision-makers and the FAA want to know how you maintain safety,” he said, adding that “every single battery cell is monitored—full time. Any bad player is taken out.” Bye said the company had been flying such a thermal management system on its prototype aircraft for over five years.&nbsp;
Like Bye Aerospace, Skye Aviation is based in Denver. It claims to be the world's first leasing company with a portfolio entirely composed of electric aircraft. Other announced customers for the eFlyer 800 include private flight group Jet It and its European affiliate JetClub and Rheinland Air Service, which is Bye's distributor in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Meanwhile, Bye Aerospace also is in the process of obtaining FAA Part&nbsp;23 certification for its eFlyer 2, a two-seat primary trainer, and the larger, four-seat eFlyer 4 designed for air taxi, cargo, and advanced training uses. Orders for these models are backed by $5,000 and $10,000 deposits,&nbsp;respectively, according to the company.&nbsp;
During a press conference at the EAA AirVenture show on July 29, the company also announced that Garmin would supply its G500 TXi avionics system for the eFlyer 2. The package provides a high-resolution touchscreen display, VFR and IFR GPS/NAV/COMM, standby, and transponder capabilities as well as electric propulsion information, synthetic vision, terrain and traffic alerting, and geo-referenced charts.&nbsp;“We want to provide our flight school customers with the best user experience possible, and we believe the G500 TXi is the ideal avionics package,” Bye said.&nbsp;
The company has upgraded its performance targets for the eFlyer 2 eFlyer 4. The aircraft now has a cruising speed of 159 mph, three hours’ endurance, and 253 miles&nbsp;of range. Speed on the eFlyer 4 increases to 230 mph, thanks to a 200-kW motor. The range is now 380 miles. “People are going to be ‘shocked,’ how fast electric can be,” Bye told FutureFlight. “That’s Cirrus SR-22, that’s [Beechcraft]&nbsp;Bonanza kind of speed.”&nbsp;

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Electric Leasing Group Skye Signs for Bye's eFlyer 800s

North America-based fractional ownership provider Jet It and its European affiliate JetClub are the launch customers for the recently introduced eFlyer 800 all-electric, cabin-class airplane, Bye Aerospace confirmed today.
In April, Bye unveiled plans to move into the business aviation market with the eFlyer 800, which will be powered by a pair of Safran's new Engineus electric motors. It will&nbsp;be able to carry seven passengers and&nbsp;fly up to 500 nm (575 miles)&nbsp;with 45-minute IFR reserves and have a cruise speed of up to 320 knots (368 mph).
The Denver-based manufacturer had said at the time that it already had “customer deposits agreements” in hand from undisclosed air taxi, charter, and cargo operators in the U.S. and Europe.
Revealing its initial customers with today’s announcement, Bye Aerospace said Jet It and JetClub signed&nbsp;a purchase agreement&nbsp;for a fleet of eFlyer 800 aircraft. The announcement, which did not detail the number of firm orders, added that the agreement additionally includes a number of eFlyer 800 purchase options, along with four eFlyer 4 airplane purchase deposits.
As launch customers, Jet It founder and CEO Glenn Gonzales and JetClub founder and CEO Vishal Hiremath will join Bye Aerospace’s Strategic Advisory Council for the eFlyer.
“As an aviation company run by aviators, we believe electric propulsion is the next major innovation in air travel, and Bye Aerospace will be one of the very few manufacturers able to certify an environmentally sustainable aircraft that meets the needs of our expanding customer base,” Gonzales said.
“Sustainability is a core pillar of the JetClub philosophy,” added Hiremath. “With the addition of the eFlyer 800 to our fleet, we take a leap forward in our sustainability goals.” 
Bye Aerospace, which is targeting a 2025 certification date for the eFlyer 800, said the development of the aircraft comes in response to growing demands for all-electric regional aircraft options that can have increased capacity but lower operating costs over traditional turboprop aircraft.
The company estimates that the eFlyer 800 will operate at about one-fifth the costs of current twin turboprops. Aimed at the air taxi, cargo, regional, and charter markets, the eFlyer 800 will sport two wing-mounted electric motors, each with dual redundant motor windings, and be equipped with quad-redundant battery packs&nbsp;and a full airplane parachute. Bye is estimating a recharge time of between 20 and 30 minutes.
Other potential features of the eFlyer 800 include an emergency auto-landing system, an option for supplemental power solar cells, and in-wheel electric taxi. 
While it moves forward on the eFlyer 800, Bye Aerospace is working toward Part 23 certification of its two- and four-seat electric aircraft, the eFlyer 2 and eFlyer 4.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Bye Aerospace Reveals Jet It, JetClub as Launch Customers for eFlyer 800

Electronic-warfare-technology group L3Harris Technologies is teaming with Bye Aerospace to develop a multi-mission version of Bye’s new eFlyer 800 all-electric aircraft. The model, which can seat up to nine people, will be adapted by L3 to carry equipment used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, taking advantage of its 1,540-pound payload.
U.S.-based L3Harris offers a range of ISR modification packages, such as its SPYDR Rapid Aircraft Payload Deployment System. The company has previously converted a variety of business aircraft for military missions, including Beech King Airs and Gulfstream G550 jets.
According to Bye Aerospace, the operating costs for the eFlyer 800 will be around one-fifth of those for comparable jet-A-fueled aircraft. However, its maximum range—around 575 miles—will be less than one-third of the range of many aircraft now used for ISR missions.&nbsp;
Denver-based Bye Aerospace indicated that it expects to complete type certification over the next four to six years&nbsp;but said that it already has “customer deposit agreements” from undisclosed air taxi, charter, and cargo operators in the U.S. and Europe.
Like its smaller eFlyer 2 and 4 models, the eFlyer 800 will be powered by a pair of Safran’s Engineus 500 kW (670 HP) motors. These will be supplied with the French company’s GeneusGrid&nbsp;electric distribution and network protection system. 
The new model is expected to feature new lithium-sulfur batteries being developed by UK-based Oxis Energy. Bye is aiming for a recharge time of 20 to 30 minutes.
According to Bye, the reduced noise profile of its all-electric aircraft will also prove beneficial for low-altitude missions. The company says that with its smaller eFlyer prototypes it is recording noise levels that are around 30 dB lower than those of comparable piston- or turboprop-powered aircraft.
“These platforms offer sustainability and mission advantages that will benefit a new generation of tactical manned ISR mission aircraft,” said Luke Savoie, aviation services president with L3Harris.

L3Harris Enlists Bye's eFlyer 800 Into Military ISR Service

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Bye Aerospace says its eFlyer 800 will carry up to nine people on flights of up to 500 nm, powered by a pair of new Safran electric motors.

Bye Electric eFlyer 800 Seeks To End King Air's Reign

Aviation Safety Resources (ASR) has conducted the first tests for the parachute recovery system it is developing for the Bye Aerospace eFlyer 2 electric aircraft. The company today reported that in late February it deployed the whole-aircraft parachute with a load equivalent to the weight of the two-seat aircraft in the first of a series of tests conducted at Henderson in Nevada.
For the test, ASR filled barrels of water to represent the weight of the eFlyer 2. These were attached to the parachute and then dropped from a helicopter at 6,600 feet with the aircraft accelerating to the maximum speed at which the system can be deployed. 
“This&nbsp;was the first in a series of tests to qualify the eFlyer 2 parachute system to ASTM standards and to make sure the canopy will withstand the load put on it,” explained ASR president and CEO Larry Williams. 
In the next phase of testing, the company will make drops at 1.15 times the maximum weight and speed needed to recover the eFlyer 2 in an emergency. “This testing represents a real-world environment to make sure the system provides maximum safety and to demonstrate that&nbsp;the parachute canopy is robust,” said Williams. 
If ASR can demonstrate a successful deployment with the extra weight and speed, the system will meet the requirements of both standards body ASTM International and the FAA to demonstrate safety performance that is deemed to be 1.5 times that which would be required in operational situations. The company released a video of the <a href="https://youtu.be/1oqgG6_cdhw">first test</a>.
Meanwhile, Bye Aerospace said it has just signed agreements with customers for four more eFlyer aircraft, taking its backlog for the eFlyer 2, the four-seat eFlyer 4, and the planned eight-seat Envoy model to 721 units. On March 1, the company said it had started assembling the fuselage for the first production example of the eFlyer 2 in anticipation of completing FAA type certification.

Whole Aircraft Recovery Parachute Tested for Bye's eFlyer 2 Model

Bye Aerospace has started building series production examples of its two-seat, all-electric <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/eflyer">eFlyer 2</a> aircraft. The U.S. company said that the first three production aircraft will be used to support the completion of the final stages of FAA Part 23 type certification.
On January 26, Colorado-based Bye Aerospace also announced that it has signed a contract with Composites Universal Group covering assembly of the eFlyer 2’s fuselage. The Oregon-based company has more than 26 years of experience in making components and assemblies for experimental aircraft, as well as for a wide variety of aerospace, transportation, marine, and industrial products. It made the fuselage for Airbus’s Vahana eVTOL technology demonstrator and is also involved in manufacturing unmanned aircraft.
Bye said it expects&nbsp;to complete type certification by the end of 2022, with approval for the four-seat eFlyer 4 aircraft to follow around 12 months later. However, during this week’s Vertical Flight Society Electric VTOL Symposium, Jay Merkle, executive director of the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, indicated that some new electric aircraft may achieve certification before the end of 2021. The front runners are likely to include fixed-wing designs that can be certificated under existing rules, such as Part 23.
“We continue to make advances in the certification process,” said Bye Aerospace CEO George Bye. “These activities commence production of the first conforming eFlyer 2, the first of three conforming eFlyer 2 aircraft that will be used to help complete final FAA certification.”
According to Bye, the company has completed the critical design review and is now completing agreements for system-specific certification plans with FAA officials. He said that plans for high-rate production ramp-up will be announced later this year, with final assembly to be conducted at its headquarters near Denver.&nbsp;
The eFlyer 2 is primarily intended for applications such as flight training. Bye has purchase agreements covering more than 700 of the aircraft, which will be powered by Safran’s ENGINeUS 100 electric motors, which will be certified under FAA's Part 33 rules.

Bye Starts Production for eFlyer Electric Aircraft, Closing in on FAA Certification

South Korea's Aerospace9 group and U.S. electric aircraft pioneer Bye Aerospace have signed a strategic partnership that includes an undisclosed investment by the Seoul-based company and a purchase agreement covering 300 aircraft, nearly doubling Bye's order book in the process. Aerospace9 has agreed to acquire 150 of Bye's two-seat eFlyer2s, plus 148 of the four-seat eFlyer4s, as well as a couple of a new larger model called the Envoy.&nbsp;It&nbsp;also holds options for a further 100 unspecified aircraft.
Bye has said very little about the Envoy, apart from that it will be powered by two electric motors and will seat up to nine people. In a statement on November 2, the Colorado-based company said that it intends to make a further announcement about the Envoy soon.&nbsp;
"We are finishing agreements with several key tier one suppliers and initial customers, but expect a public announcement to launch Envoy before year-end," Bye Aerospace CEO George Bye told&nbsp;FutureFlight.
The role that&nbsp;Aerospace9 will play in Bye's future is very unclear and the new company was recently founded by information technology entrepreneur Seunghyuk Cha. The company, which claims to be "building a team of highly experienced aerospace veterans," has not said what it intends to do with the 300 aircraft it now has on order. According to Bye's statement, "Aerospace9 will challenge the new-generation aviation industry based on information technology as it develops and sells various industry products to Asian markets."
Bye is in the process of obtaining FAA certification for both the eFlyer aircraft, which are intended for a variety of roles including flight training, air taxi service, and personal use. The company now holds commitments for a total of 711 aircraft, with other prospective customers including Quantum XYZ, FlexAir, OSM Aviation Academy and Skyborne Airline Academy.
Flight testing and engineering work for the eFlyer program has been somewhat disrupted by Covid-19 complications. Bye now estimates that the process will be complete with FAA by the end of 2022.
As part of its claimed value proposition, Bye says its aircraft will deliver&nbsp;offer five-fold savings in terms of&nbsp;operating costs, no carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and significantly decreased noise. The company noted that the eFlyer family has the potential to eliminate millions of metric tons of CO2 emissions generated each year by flight training operations alone. 
“This investment is not just a purchase contract, it is a very meaningful contract that creates an amazing opportunity for Asia,” explained Aerospace9 chairman Seunghyuk Cha. “Our company has a very important responsibility in the aviation industry as a new strategic partner of Bye Aerospace.”
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Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

Korean Company Invests in Bye Aerospace and New Envoy Aircraft

UK flight school Skyborne Airline Academy has ordered six of Bye Aerospace’s eFlyer 2 fixed-wing electric aircraft and four of the larger eFlyer 4 model. The deal, announced on July 24, took the total number of deposit-backed reservations for the aircraft to 360.
Denver-based Bye Aerospace is working to certify&nbsp;the eFlyers under the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s FAR Part 23 rules. First deliveries of the two-seat eFlyer 2 are anticipated in late 2021, with the first of the four-seat eFlyer 4s to follow by the end of 2022.
According to Skyborne Airline Academy CEO Lee Woodward, the Gloucestershire-based company chose the eFlyers in an&nbsp;effort to reduce carbon emissions from its flight training activity. He added that he also expects the trainers to be more economical to operate than gasoline-fueled light aircraft.
Bye has pledged that the eFlyers will deliver a five-fold improvement in operating costs. Based on the number of aircraft already on order with several other flight training organizations, it also claims that use of the aircraft will eliminate the release of around five million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. 
The eFlyers are powered by a single 120-hp electric motor with power stored in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Bye is working with UK company Oxis Energy to develop more efficient lithium-sulfur batteries as a replacement.
The eFlyer’s cockpit is fitted with Garmin’s G3X touchscreen avionics suite. Bye also expects the aircraft to be used for air taxi operations.

UK Flight School Takes Order Book for Bye's eFlyer Family to 360 Units

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Bye Aerospace

News

Electric Leasing Group Skye Signs for Bye's eFlyer 800s

Bye Aerospace Reveals Jet It, JetClub as Launch Customers for eFlyer 800

L3Harris Enlists Bye's eFlyer 800 Into Military ISR Service

Bye Electric eFlyer 800 Seeks To End King Air's Reign

Whole Aircraft Recovery Parachute Tested for Bye's eFlyer 2 Model

Bye Starts Production for eFlyer Electric Aircraft, Closing in on FAA Certification

Korean Company Invests in Bye Aerospace and New Envoy Aircraft

UK Flight School Takes Order Book for Bye's eFlyer Family to 360 Units

Electric Aircraft Maker Bye Raises $10M for eFlyers

Quantum Air Orders Bye eFlyers for LA-based Air-taxi Ops

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