A rollout event on 6 November, 2024 at Grenchen airport in Switzerland saw Smartflyer unveil its SFX1 prototype and present it to the public along with 120 invited guests from aviation, business, politics and the media. It was a great moment for the entire Smartflyer team and a highlight in the eight-year development history of the hybrid-electric cruising and training aircraft. It was also the moment to show the Smartflyer team, suppliers and all partners the appreciation and thanks they deserve.

“Smartflyer will be loved by pilots. It’s an aircraft built by pilots, for pilots,” says CEO Rolf Stuber. “With the undisturbed view through the front windshield, the traditional center stick and the cockpit layout, we are providing a beautiful aircraft for future professional pilots.”

Next, Smartflyer is looking for new investors so that the prototype can take to the skies next year. Certification is being considered with an industrial partner so that the electric aircraft can go into commercial use in 2030. The Smartflyer SF1, as it will be called in series production, will have a replaceable energy source. The prototype will soon be ready for the ground test phase, for which the team will move to Grenchen airport.

The Smartflyer SFX1 has been developed from scratch and designed and optimised for pure electric propulsion. An electric motor with propeller is located on the vertical stabiliser where the thrust is most effective. The batteries are housed in the wing, where the large mass is neutralised in terms of bending moment. There is space in the nose of the four-seater aircraft for a small combustion engine range extender, or additional batteries, depending on the requirements of the planned mission.

The SFX1 prototype is due to take to the skies for the first time in 2025 and will be operated purely electrically in the airport area, which will massively reduce noise emissions. When travelling, a range extender will help to achieve a range of 800km. The combustion engine will reduce CO2 emissions by half compared to a four-seater aircraft with a conventional piston engine.