Bye Aerospace & Electro Aero launch charging cooperation
In a strategic move aimed at fuelling the transition of the pilot training aircraft market to electric aircraft, Bye Aerospace and Electro.Aero signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop portable fast charging solutions for the eFlyer fleet. Bye Aerospace claims that it is on the verge of an important milestone: the full-size eFlyer 2 prototype is being manufactured at Centennial Airport (KAPA) in Colorado.
The partners cite a Fortune Business Insights study, which states that “the global pilot training market was valued at $9.37 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $24.86 billion by 2032.” The USA plays a large role here, where in 2022, the pilot training market there reached a value of $1.57 billion, and is expected to grow to $4.93 billion by 2030.
Electro.Aero claims that its 40kW, 80kW and 240kW chargers with portable design and dual cable capability for the 240kW charger can allow charging in less than 30 minutes between flights, including simultaneous charging of two aircraft with the larger portable charger.
Aside from the charging cooperation, it should be noted that Bye Aerospace has not yet been able to hand over a single electric aircraft to customers. This is because the certification process for new aircraft takes several years and requires a lot of patience. This process is also considered one of the biggest hurdles for the developers.
Bye Aerospace is planning the first flight of a largely production-compliant prototype in nine to twelve months, followed by FAA Part 23 certification in a further 24 months.
“As we prepare for our full-scale prototype’s inaugural flight, we’re thrilled to partner with Electro Aero to demonstrate the operational utility our combined technologies will bring to this greatly underserved pilot training market,” explained Rod Zastrow, CEO of Bye Aerospace, adding: “The pilot training industry needs—and we intend to deliver—disruptively less expensive aircraft to fly and operationally effective charging systems. We are thrilled to offer simultaneous, two-aircraft fast charging in under 30 minutes, which means our customers can finally meet the demanding pace of flight instruction with reliability, efficiency and drastically lower operating costs.”
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