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Female Pilot Instructor On 100% Electric Airplane – The First In Portugal

Inês Oliveira, a flight instructor at IFA – International Flight Academy, holds an ATPL (Airplane) license and, after completing her FI(A) – Flight Instructor course, quickly began flying to instruct future pilots. She is currently established in the Viseu base (Aeródromo Municipal de Viseu), where she is a senior instructor, with over 1200 hours of flight time and a distinctive aptitude for enlightening the newest aspiring pilots with her in-depth knowledge.

Pilot Inês is the first female flight instructor at IFA to specialize in the Pipistrel Aircraft, flying daily on the Virus SW121 and Virus SW121A – Explorer models, now adding the exclusive and incomparable Pipistrel Velis Electro to her range and variety of flight expertise.

The adventurer set off on the electric training as soon as it arrived to Viseu Aerodrome, where after several standardizations from a combustion engine to an electric one, among other variables, she became, in an very distinguished way, the first female pilot in Portugal to fly the 100% electric aircraft!

"The only difference that I see for us in terms of training and operations is that it is a more ergonomic aircraft and it will make the training easier for our students, it will be simpler for them, acting as a complement. This is the future. It is quite similar to a fuel aircraft."

About The Pipistrel Velis Electro

This two-seater aircraft is intended primarily for pilot training and will be used for IFA’s initial pilot training. This airplane is designed and manufactured by Pipistrel Aircraft, a Textron eAviation. This is now the only type-certified electric aircraft to operate in Portugal.

It is completely approved for pilot training in Day VFR operations. This alternative propulsion airplane runs by two water-cooled lithium batteries and with a flight range of 50 minutes, plus VFR reserve.

HORSEPOWER 57.6 kW MTOP MAX CRUISE 98 kcas

MAX ALTITUDE 12,000 ft. NOISE 60dBa

This plane is easily and quickly rechargeable, as a normal charging cycle from 35% – 95% only takes up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. It is also endured to fly in diverse weather conditions from hot to cold, being resistant to rain since it’s not a hazard to the electrical powerplant.

electric aircraft Europe