Slovenian aircraft designer Pipistrel has agreed to work with eSTOL developer Airflow.aero to supply motors, motor controllers and batteries for Airflow's proof-of-concept aircraft.

Pipistrel made the first type-certified electric aircraft, the VELIS Electro. Airflow says Pipistrel's expertise in clean sheet design through to completion makes it an ideal partner as it moves to design, build and test its own full-scale proof-of-concept eSTOL vehicle.

“Pipistrel's pioneering work in electric flight and its industry-leading experience in building and certifying powertrains for electric aircraft make it an ideal partner to help us build and fly a first-of-its kind eSTOL airplane,” says Airflow CEO and co-founder Marc Ausman. “It understands and can meet the challenges of a high-performance system with the reliability and safety requirements of the aerospace industry.”

“There are a lot of ideas flooding the market, which is exciting to see, but not all are based on real technology and realistic aerospace timescales. It makes it hard to clearly see the aircraft that are best-positioned to meet their targets,” adds Pipistrel CEO Ivo Boscarol. “The Airflow team understands what it takes to bring a new electric aircraft to market and its experience building and flying the Airbus Vahana makes it one of the best positioned teams to accomplish this.”