Flights in electric aircraft to raise awareness of low-carbon aviation

No engine noise - just the sound of the wind: that’s what you hear on board the first carbon-free aircraft!

From 10 to 14 June, twenty-four students and staff from ISAE-SUPAERO had the opportunity to discover electric flight. Instructors from the Institute’s Flight Operations Centre, located at the Toulouse-Lasbordes aerodrome, brought in a Velis Electro, belonging to the Albi flying club, to raise awareness of carbon-free aviation among students and teacher-researchers. This two-seater aircraft, produced by the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel Aircraft, is currently the only 100% electric aircraft certified in the world.

“The aim was to show future engineers what exists and works today, but also to give them a first-hand experience of the operational constraints associated with the machine’s current limited autonomy,” explains Stéphane Juaneda, head of the Lasbordes Air Operations Centre.

The operation was a great success. “It’s a good way of putting our engineering training into practice,” says Valentin, a student in his 1ʳᵉ year of the engineering program. “It allows us to see in practice the progress of carbon-free aviation, its limits and what we could add to it for tomorrow.”

Training on the challenges of decarbonization

The decarbonization of the aviation sector is a major focus of ISAE-SUPAERO’s training programs: students are trained in climate issues as part of the core curriculum for the engineering and Masters programs. On the research side, the Institute has also fully embraced the subject. Currently, 35% of the Institute’s internal and collaborative research topics are directly concerned with decarbonization or are linked to the transition aerospace industry.