Transport Canada is reportedly poised to confer full certification (advanced ultralight) status to an electric aircraft. A Pipistrel Alpha Electro was recently delivered to a customer at Pitt Meadows Airport near Vancouver. The aircraft was purchased through Pipistrel Aircraft Canada and delivered in a crate to the owner’s hangar. It took only a few minutes to assemble.

The Alpha Electro is primarily designed as a trainer and is especially suited to circuit work. It will happily touch and go for an hour with a 30-minute reserve in the batteries. It takes a half hour to recharge the battery to full capacity. The 60 kilowatt Siemens electric motor makes the equivalent power of an 80 horsepower gas engine. It has a 34-foot wingspan and is 21 feet long with an all-up weight of 1212 pounds. It will climb at more than 1,200 feet per minute.