• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Pipistrel to go on display at Smithsonian

By General Aviation News Staff · August 1, 2024 · 3 Comments

Textron eAviation is loaning a Pipistrel Velis Electro aircraft to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The Velis Electro, manufactured by Pipistrel, part of the Textron eAviation business segment, is the world’s first type certified electric-powered aircraft, receiving certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020, and light-sport aircraft airworthiness (LSA) exemption from the FAA in March 2024.

The Velis Electro, on loan for the next three years, will be showcased in an upcoming exhibition at the museum’s location in Washington, D.C., according to company officials. It is scheduled to go on display in 2025.

“As we endeavor to tell stories about innovations occurring right now in aerospace, Textron eAviation’s loan of a Pipistrel Velis Electro allows us to explore the topic of sustainability efforts in aviation,” said Roger Connor, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum.

For more information: E-Aviation.com

Reader Interactions

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

Comments

  1. Kent Misegades says

    August 2, 2024 at 5:17 am

    I object. First of all, Pipistrel is a company based in Slovenia. Nothing wrong with that, but the Smithsonian exists to display American innovation, not foreign. Second, as nice as they are, Pipistrel is far from being the first maker of a battery (coal) powered airplane. I saw Randall Fishmann’s Electraflyer-C in flight at EAA AirVenture in 2008 or so. Third, this looks to me like more ESG hype from Pipistrel’s parent company Textron, which is nearly totally dependent on sales of weapons to Swamp-Dwellers.

    Reply
    • JimH in CA says

      August 3, 2024 at 5:56 pm

      Textron bought Pipestrel a while ago. So, it is a US company now, even if the aircraft are manufactured in Slovenia.!

      Reply
    • T Boyle says

      August 5, 2024 at 6:39 pm

      I’ll add a vote for including Randy Fishmann’s electric airplane at the Smithsonian!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to JimH in CA Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines