Bye Aerospace Begins eFlyer 2 Assembly

Bye Aerospace introduced the two-seat, light, all-electric eFlyer 2 in 2016. The technology demonstrator took its first flight in 2018. Bye has now begun assembly of the eFlyer 2 Serial#001. So far, the company has taken purchase deposit agreements for 717 eFlyer 2, eFlyer 4, a four-seat electric aircraft announced in 2017, and other eFlyer models.

Bye partnered with Composites Universal Group to begin fuselage production, the first major component to be assembled. CUG will also assemble the carbon composite wing for the production aircraft.

Certification is progressing. Most of the System Specific Certification Plans are nearing completion and in final approval and coordination with the FAA, said George Bye, Bye Aerospace CEO. “Even with the challenges presented to us by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our team remains laser focused on collaboration efforts with the FAA on the eFlyer 2’s certification program,” he said.

The eFlyer aircraft are all-new designs. The eFlyer 2, designed for the training market, includes a Safran air-cooled, 150 hp electric motor powered by high density lithium-ion batteries, and a whole-aircraft emergency recovery parachute system from ASR. The aircraft has a flight endurance of three hr. at 73 kts, a normal speed from 55 to 135 kt, and a range of 220 nm with VFR reserves at 96 kt. and 10,000 ft altitude. Its maximum altitude is 14,000 ft. Bye estimates operations costs of $23 an hour.