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by r00fus 2248 days ago
I am guessing the EV trainer companies have already addressed - but it's not clear to me:

How similar are EV airplanes and ICE powered ones? Aren't there a number of factors that vary from motive power and availability to weight/form factor that make training on an EV not sufficient to training on "the real thing"?

2 comments

EV airplanes are simpler to fly than a gas powered one, so it could be great for a new student who mostly wants to focus on the actual flying and not so much on how to manage the engine. The current market leader, Pipistrel, is selling an EV airplane that is the same airframe as their gas trainer. So the path for students to transition from the EV plane (local airport circuits and learning landing and takeoff) to cross country (flying long distance, learning judgement about weather, understanding navigation, managing the engine, human factors) is no issue in terms of actual airplane controls and familiarity.
One thing to add is that jet engines are quite different from piston engines with propellers. So, whether you learn in a Cessna 152 and then step up to Airbus/Boeing, or learn in an electric aircraft and then step up, is probably not a dramatic difference.