Even after a disappointing cancellation of the Fly-In event after uneasy weather conditions the South Australian-based Eyre to There Aviation, in partnership with platinum sponsor AvPlan EFB, has achieved a world endurance record for an electric aircraft, breaking the previous mark set in Germany last year. Flying a Pipistrel Alpha Electro plane, Eyre to There Aviation Managing Director Barrie Rogers and his team arrived in Port Augusta late Friday (June 25) after breaking the previous mark of 750km on the leg between Shoalwater Point Station and Whyalla. They stopped on their journey back to Adelaide overnight in Jamestown on Saturday 26th June. Along the way, the team has also broken other world records for electric aircraft including longest over-water flight (30.8km); furthest distance in a 24-hour period (330km); and fastest speed between waypoints (177km/h ground speed). The flight team and support crew includes three pilots, five on-the-ground support crew, a second support (petrol-powered) plane, and two vehicles carrying recharging equipment for the aircraft. The Pipistrel Alpha Electro – dubbed the ‘Tesla of flying’ – has a flight time range of about 1 hour and cruising speed of 85 knots (157km/h) so each leg has been carefully planned and build in contingencies for weather. Barrie says the Pipistrel Alpha Electro is the world’s first and only serially produced electric aircraft currently approved in Australia for flight training by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
