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The Pipistrel Velis Electro comes with a charger designed for the European 400-volt electrical system. This means that a special transformer needs to be installed at any North American airport where the Velis is to charge. (Note: Pipistrel is developing an adapter which will allow the Velis to be charged using CCS chargers, which will remove this hurdle. CCS is one of the most widely used electric vehicle charging standards.)

The electric plane fleet expanded across the country in 2024. Canada’s first Pipistrel Velis Electro was flown by Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) researchers and Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) personnel in 2023. Waterloo has added a second Velis Electro for 2024 (with financial support from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario) and a third Velis Electro was purchased by Sealand Aviation on Vancouver Island (with financial support from Clean BC)

Waterloo finance student Angelica Lee was nominated for a global aerospace award. She shares her journey and advice to inspire others in non-traditional career pathways.

Electric aviation offers a solution to airport noise by replacing the fossil fuel engine with a quiet electric motor. Of course, there is still noise from the propeller, so how big is the reduction in noise by changing to electric power?

WISA researcher Paul Parker from Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment demonstrated his skill and fascination with solar powered flight by placing third at the Canadian National Gliding Championships, held July 26 through August 4 at the Southern Ontario Soaring Association (SOSA) airfield in Rockton, Ontario.