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Electravia

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Electravia Hélices E-Props
IndustryAerospace
FoundedSept 2008
FounderAnne Lavrand
HeadquartersVaumeilh,
France
Key people
Christian Vandamme, Jérémie Buiatti
ProductsCarbon propellers for aviation
Number of employees
40 (September 2021)[1]
Websitewww.e-props.fr

Electravia - Helices E-Props is a French aviation manufacturer based in Vaumeilh, specializing in the non-certified light aviation sector.[2] At one time it produced electric propulsion systems and now designs and manufactures carbon fibre propellers for light aircraft.[3]

History

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French BL1E Electra F-PMDJ: the first registered electric aircraft in the world. First flight December 2007
The electric MC15E Cri-Cri during world speed record in Pontoise
Former logo used until 2021
E-Props Glorieuse model variable pitch propeller

The company was originally organized as an association called APAME to build and fly electric aircraft. It first flew its BL1E Electra on Sunday, 23 December 2007 at Aspres sur Buech airfield, Hautes Alpes, France. Test pilot Christian Vandamme flew the electric-powered, open-cockpit, strut-equipped airplane for 48 minutes, covering 50 km (31 mi). The BL1E Electra is powered by an 18 kW (24 hp) disk-brushed electric engine driven by a 47 kg (104 lb) KOKAM Lithium polymer battery.[4][5][6] The BL1E Electra was the first registered aircraft in the world powered by an electric motor running on batteries.[7]

The company was founded on 19 September 2008 by Anne Lavrand, Jérémie Buiatti and Christian Vandamme. At the time of its founding it mainly produced electric motors for light aircraft.[8]

Starting in 2008, Electravia began designing and manufacturing carbon fibre aircraft propellers, including fixed pitch, ground-adjustable pitch and variable pitch models. Propellers for paramotors, ultralights, light aircraft and UAV are made in the 1,700 m2 (18,000 sq ft) workshop on Sisteron's airfield (LFNS). E-Props propellers claim to be the lightest on the market.[9][10]

On 5 September 2010, pilot Hugues Duval established a world speed record for electric aircraft with his twin engined MC15E Cri-Cri E-Cristaline, equipped with Electravia engines, controllers, batteries and propellers. During the Pontoise Air show, a top speed of 262 km/h (163 mph; 141 kn) was recorded by Aero Club de France organizers. Then, on 25 June 2011, during the official flight presentation at 2011 Paris Air Show (Salon du Bourget), Duval established a new world record of 283 km/h (176 mph).[11]

In 2011 the E-FENIX became the first 100% electric two-seater paramotor.[12]

In 2012 the E-SPIDER was shown at the Mondial of Paramotors in Basse-Ham. It was the first two-seater electric paramotor capable of being foot-launched.[13]

By the beginning of 2014, about 70 aircraft had been equipped with Electravia propulsion systems, including the ElectroLight2 electric motorglider, based on the Scheibe Spatz[14][15][16][17] and the MC30E Firefly, with which Pilot Jean-Louis Soullier set a speed record of 189.87 km/h (117.98 mph).[18][19][20][21]

By 2014 the company was producing a range of electric aircraft engines, including the Electravia GMPE 102, Electravia GMPE 104 and the Electravia GMPE 205.[22]

Electravia also produced a number of electric-powered ultralight trike designs, including the Electravia Electro Trike and the Electravia Monotrace-E, which was based on the AEF Monotrace.[22]

In 2014, the company decided to stop making electric motors to focus on the design of carbon fibre propellers.[8]

On 9 July 2015, the electric MC15E CriCri E-Cristaline became the first electric aircraft to cross the English Channel.[23][24]

By 2019, the propeller market for paramotors represented 40% of the company's sales. The company sold 4,500 models in over 80 countries.[25]

Originally E-Props propeller usage was restricted to visual flight rules conditions by the manufacturer, but this restriction was rescinded in a new edition of the Instruction and Service Manual issued in 2020. This edition replaced the earlier limitation with a warning stating "E-PROPS propellers are not 'certified' propellers: they are not compliant with aeronautical standard as AESA or FAA. However, they are compliant with the ASTM F2506-13 (LSA). Their use is the sole responsibility of the owner / pilot of the aircraft. The user admits knowing and accepting the risks of using such propellers, and admits knowing that his engine could stop abruptly."[26][27]

By 2021, the company had 40 aeronautical engineers and technicians[28] and was producing 45,000 propeller blades per year[29] and had started work to certify its propellers and production methods to European Union Aviation Safety Agency standards (DOA / CS-P / PART 21G).[30]

As of 2022, E-Props propellers are fitted to 220 different light aircraft and microlight models and 150 brands of paramotors. The company works directly with 35 major aircraft and microlight manufacturers to design its products.[31] It exports 87% of its propeller production to 80 different countries.[32]

References

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  1. ^ "DECOUVERTE : Electravia, une success story haut-alpine" (in French).
  2. ^ "E-props". E-props (in French). Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Electravia". Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. ^ Pew, Glenn (December 2007). "APAME Announces Electric Flight". Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  5. ^ APAME (December 2007). "Worldwide premiere: first aircraft flight with electrical engine". Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  6. ^ "Première Mondiale: Un moteur électrique fait voler un avion léger publié sur Aero blog". Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Air Travel Switches to Electricity". e-props.fr. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b "VAUMEILH. Electravia - Hélices E-Props s'apprête à embaucher". www.ledauphine.com (in French).
  9. ^ "Hélices E-Props : sortie de la 1000ème pale carbone pour ULM". aerobuzz.fr. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Altipresse". pilotesmag.com. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Electric Cri-Cri Breaks Own World Electric Speed Record". Archived from the original on 26 February 2013.
  12. ^ "SISTERON (ALPES DE HAUTE-PROVENCE). Premier vol d'un paramoteur biplace 100 % électrique pour Electravia". www.ledauphine.com (in French).
  13. ^ "Le paramoteur électrique E-Spider d'Electravia en vedette à Basse-Ham - AéroBuzz : Actualité et Information Aéronautique". archive.wikiwix.com.
  14. ^ "ElectroLight2 : Going Vintage Electrically".
  15. ^ "EAA NEWS ElectroLight2 Helps Vintage Gliders Motor Aloft". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Electravia fait décoller le motoplaneur électrique ElectroLight 2 - AéroBuzz : Actualité et Information Aéronautique". archive.wikiwix.com.
  17. ^ "Premier tests du motoplaneur électrique Electravia ElectroLight2". www.technologicvehicles.com.
  18. ^ "Electric MC30E Firefy Flies With New Motor". Archived from the original on 17 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  19. ^ "Electric aircraft: first flight of the MC30E "Luciole" powered by ELECTRAVIA".
  20. ^ "New FAI Records for Electric Flight".
  21. ^ "GAP. Tentative de record: New York/Paris à l'électricité". www.ledauphine.com (in French).
  22. ^ a b Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, pages 262-263. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  23. ^ "H. Duval réussit la première traversée de la Manche en avion électrique". Aerobuzz (in French). 10 July 2015.
  24. ^ "La Manche en avion électrique – aeroVFR". www.aerovfr.com.
  25. ^ "Electravia E-Props, expert des hélices légères". La Tribune (in French). 15 November 2019.
  26. ^ Helices E-Props. "E-Props Instruction and Service Manual" (PDF). aircraft.e-props.fr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  27. ^ Helices E-Props (15 February 2020). "Instruction and Service Manual - Ground Adjustable Pitch Propellers for ROTAX engines serie 9" (PDF). aircraft.e-props.fr. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ^ "DECOUVERTE : Electravia, une success story haut-alpine". BFMTV (in French).
  29. ^ "ALPES-DE-HAUTE-PROVENCE. Vaumeilh : chez Electravia E-Props, on fabrique des hélices en carbone". www.ledauphine.com (in French).
  30. ^ "Objectif certification EASA pour Hélices E-Props". AEROBUZZ (in French). 13 September 2022.
  31. ^ "E-props". E-props.
  32. ^ "Electravia, leader des hélices pour paramoteurs, construit une usine éco-responsable à Vaumeilh". TPBM (in French). 27 October 2021.
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