UW and Waterloo Wellington Flight School gets electric plane
The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) and Waterloo Wellington Flight School now own a unique electric plane, known as the Velis Electro.
“We are really excited because this is the first electric trainer in Canada. It's not the first electric airplane but the first one for training fleet,” said Bob Conners, the general manager at Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.
Before it can take its first flight, it needs to be approved and certified by Transport Canada. The team said it has been certified in Europe for two years and certified by the UK in 2022.
The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics will help conduct the necessary research and apply for approval. The team says their main concern is if its battery will hold up with Canada’s cold.
“We're optimistic about that because it's operated in Europe and similar weather conditions, in Switzerland for example,” said Connors.
WISA and Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre own the plane. (CTV News/Krista Sharpe)
The plane was imported from Slovenia last month. It cost around 200,000 euros and was purchased through a research grant.
“It’s something that not only researchers, but the students are really excited about,” said WISA’s founding director, Suzanne Kearns.
WISA will use the electric plane to train the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals, who are hoping the future of flight will be more affordable and sustainable.
“Problem is, the students say ‘I want to fly. I don’t want carbon.’ We want to offer them a solution,” said Paul Parker, WISA associate director.
The team is hoping Velis Electro can take flight by the end of 2023 and inspire greener technology at flight schools across Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.