What happened
Bye Aerospace's eFlyer 2, an all-electric two-seat aeroplane designed for flight schools, has made its first flight. The company announced the flight on 24 September 2026. Chief test pilot Elliot Seguin flew the aircraft, serial number 001, from Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado. MiGFlug, which says Bye Aerospace confirmed the details, reports that the flight took place on 17 September and lasted about six minutes, the day after the aircraft received its FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate.
That certificate followed an FAA inspection of the airframe, electric propulsion system and instruments, and cleared the aircraft to begin flight testing.
What the aircraft is
According to Bye Aerospace's published specifications, as reported by MiGFlug, the eFlyer 2 has:
- a 125 kW (167 hp) electric motor and a battery of about 90 kWh
- side-by-side seating and Garmin G500 TXi avionics
- more than two hours of mission time, with recharging in under 30 minutes
- a certification basis of 14 CFR Part 23, Amendment 64
Bye Aerospace claims the aircraft can cut operating costs by up to 80% and produces no in-flight emissions. Speaking to CBS Colorado, chief executive Rod Zastrow said legacy training aircraft cost "about $165-175 an hour to operate, just basic operating costs", while the eFlyer 2 "is designed to operate at only $35-40 an hour". These are the manufacturer's own figures, not independent measurements.
Airframer reports that flight schools including Spartan College of Aeronautics & Technology, Skyborne Academy, Flex Air Flight School and KLM Academy have ordered the eFlyer 2 or the four-seat eFlyer 4, and that Bye's combined order book is over 1,000 aircraft.
What happens next
A first flight starts a test programme; it doesn't finish one. Bye says its team will gradually expand the flight envelope. Zastrow told CBS Colorado that the next six to nine months of testing will feed into another prototype, which the company hopes will be the one to complete the FAA's required flight testing before production starts. No certification or delivery date has been given.
The eFlyer 2 wouldn't be the first electric trainer. Pipistrel's Velis Electro became the world's first type-certified electric aircraft in 2020 and already flies at European flight schools, with around an hour of endurance, MiGFlug notes. Endurance, battery life and the lack of charging points at many airfields remain the big open questions for electric training.
What this means if you're training
Don't wait for electric aircraft before you start. The eFlyer 2 is still in flight testing, and it will be some time before it appears on the flight line at most schools.
What's worth knowing is that electric trainers suit the short, repetitive flights at the start of training, such as circuits and general handling, while longer cross-country flights may still need a conventional aircraft. If a school near you offers electric flying, ask how the hours count towards your licence, how long each lesson can last, and what happens if a battery is unavailable.
Sources
- Bye Aerospace press release via Airframer, "Bye Aerospace advances eFlyer programme with first successful flight of eFlyer 2", 24 September 2026: https://www.airframer.com/news/release/bye-aerospace-advances-eflyer-programme-with-first-successful-flight-of-eflyer-2
- Airframer, "Bye secures airworthiness certificate for eFlyer 2", September 2026: https://www.airframer.com/news/story/bye-secures-airworthiness-certificate-for-eflyer-2
- MiGFlug Afterburner, "eFlyer 2 Flies at Centennial: Bye Aerospace Starts Flight Tests", 25 September 2026 (updated 29 September): https://migflug.com/afterburner/bye-aerospace-eflyer-2-first-flight-centennial-airport-2026/
- CBS Colorado, "Colorado aviation company takes flight with new all-electric plane", 5 October 2026: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-aviation-company-flight-all-electric-plane/