Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. (AEAC) revealed plans for a four-place airplane, “Sun Flyer 4,” the next addition to the Sun Flyer family of aircraft at EAA AirVenture 2017.
Company officials noted that Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology is the first flight school to hold a deposit for a Sun Flyer 4.
The two-seat Sun Flyer, “Sun Flyer 2,” will be the first FAA-certified all-electric trainer aircraft under FAR Part 23.
The new four-seat will closely follow the certification of the two-seat version, according to company officials.
Features of the Sun Flyer 4 include a 46-inch cabin width, 38-foot wing span, ballistic parachute recovery system, and a gross weight of 2,700 pounds, with a full 800 pounds of payload for pilot and passengers.
“Like Sun Flyer 2, Sun Flyer 4 will run completely on batteries,” said George Bye, CEO. “As a result, the four-seat airplane will have operating costs five times lower than costs associated with similar combustion-engine aircraft. With four hours of flying time, the versatile Sun Flyer 4 will appeal to both flight schools and pilot-owners.”
Spartan, which holds 25 deposits for production Sun Flyer 2s, is the first flight school to hold a deposit for a Sun Flyer 4. Spartan will develop a complete training system for the Sun Flyer family of aircraft, including a course syllabus for airframe and powerplant (A&P) technicians to receive specialized electric maintenance training.
“Providing our students the opportunity to train on a variety of airplane models is paramount to a diversified flight education. The addition of the four-seat airplane will enable us to take multiple students on cross-country flights during their training on these groundbreaking aircraft,” said Dr. Dan Peterson, President and CEO of Spartan College.