Is the Future of Flight Training Electric? | Aviation

The concept of electric flight is, like a lot of dreams, wishful in the sense that it may not be practical at the present time, but perhaps it will be in the not-too-distant future.

During six decades of flight training, I’ve had to learn how to adapt to many changing requirements. Given the current state of electric powertrains, there would have to be a lot of adapting to the training procedures to accommodate the present limitations of battery-powered flight. The chief drawback for now seems to be limited endurance compared with avgas-powered trainers. Range anxiety is a well-known electric vehicle concern, particularly in wintertime, and it will be an even greater worry if aloft rather than on the road.

Flying lessons using electric power will necessarily be short, using the current technology, something on the order of the 30-minute “discovery flight” intros we employ for prospective flight students. CFIs would have to make the most of each minute aloft, adhering to a narrow flight profile and quickly moving from one demonstration and practice session to another. E-flight management does have some flexibility in that reducing power demand greatly…