Inspiration

Electricity in the air

Aug. 2024

2 min.

An Annecy-based company makes the first ever flight around France in an electric-powered airplane

This past July, a team of four young pilots from the Annecy-based Avialpes flight school decided to attempt to circumnavigate France in an electric plane.

Elizabeth, Gabriel, Lionel, and Iestyn, four modern-day knights of the sky ranging in age from 17 to 29 years old, took turns behind the stick of the Velis Electro, a 100% electric-powered two-person airplane that the flight school owns. They circumnavigated France over the course of seventeen days and fifty stages.

This breakthrough aerial odyssey, christened the Elektro Tour, combined adventure and innovation as part of today’s transition towards sustainable aviation.

A zero-emissions flight experience

Avialpes offers flight tours in the Alps (over Lake Annecy, Lake Geneva, the Aravis Mountains, and the Mt. Blanc range) as well as flying lessons. This state-certified flight school teaches both private and professional pilots.

Starting in 2021, company founders Emmanuel Rety and Jérémie Chaine committed to making the energy transition by purchasing a Velis Electro, becoming the first private operator in France to offer clean-energy flight tours: an 80% reduction in noise pollution, zero CO2 emissions, zero fuel consumption, and an all-new experience.

On July 4th this summer, two pilots from Avialpes took off in a Velis Electro, while their two colleagues followed in an electric van with battery chargers since not all airports in France are equipped with recharge stations.

Over the course of seventeen days and approximately fifty hours o flight time, all four pilots took turns in the cockpit to complete their circumnavigation flight around France. This unique challenge required carefully managing the approximately sixty-minute battery life of their plane, knowing that regulations in France required at least thirty minutes of reserve time when flying from point A to point B.

One day, while flying over the Aravis Mountains, Lestyn and Gabriel came up with the idea to push the plane’s limits as a way to promote the development of electric aviation, build public awareness about today’s major environmental issues, and demonstrate that electric aircraft represent a future solution.

What they never considered was the wonderful personal experience this unique first turned out to be, especially the incredible energy among team members during each and every stage.

Velis Electro - a 100% electric-powered airplane

Flying in an electric-powered aircraft, an opportunity for everyone

Avialpes offers twenty to thirty-minute introductory flights in an electric-powered airplane for a truly unique, immersive experience. Even without any prior technical knowledge, you can take over the controls to fly the plane, guided by an experienced instructor.

The silent electric engine and large windows of the Velis Electro enhance the momentousness of the experience by offering spectacular views of the lake and mountains. What a captivating way to enjoy your first learning experience flying a plane as you feel the freedom of flight sitting in the cockpit.