Electravia - Helices E-Props is a French aviation manufacturer based in

Vaumeilh Vaumeilh (; ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography It is a small Provençal village with narrow, winding streets which backs on to a hill. The Dur ...

, specializing in the non-certified light aviation sector. At one time it produced electric propulsion systems and now designs and manufactures

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

propellers for light aircraft.

History

The company was originally organized as an association called APAME to build and fly

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

. It first flew its BL1E Electra on Sunday, 23 December 2007 at Aspres sur Buech airfield,

Hautes Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 as of 2019,

, France. Test pilot Christian Vandamme flew the electric-powered, open-cockpit, strut-equipped airplane for 48 minutes, covering . The BL1E Electra is powered by an disk-brushed electric engine driven by a KOKAM

Lithium polymer battery A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly, lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly, and others), is a rechargeable battery derived from lithium-ion and lithium-metal battery technology. The primary differ ...

. The BL1E Electra was the first registered aircraft in the world powered by an electric motor running on batteries. 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. 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 workshop on Sisteron's airfield (LFNS). E-Props propellers claim to be the lightest on the market. 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 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 . In 2011 the E-FENIX became the first 100% electric two-seater

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paragliding, powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harnes ...

. In 2012 the E-SPIDER was shown at the Mondial of Paramotors in Basse-Ham. It was the first two-seater electric

capable of being foot-launched. 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 and the MC30E Firefly, with which Pilot Jean-Louis Soullier set a speed record of . 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.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 262-263. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. Electravia also produced a number of electric-powered

ultralight trike An ultralight trike or paratrike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift control, weight-shift. These light-sport aircraft, aircraft have a fabric Rogallo wing, flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fusel ...

designs, including the Electravia Electro Trike and the

Electravia Monotrace-E The Electravia Monotrace-E is a French electric ultralight trike that was produced by Electravia of Vaumeilh and based on the AEF Monotrace. Now out of production, when it was available it was supplied complete and ready-to-fly.Tacke, Willi; M ...

, which was based on the

AEF Monotrace The AEF Monotrace is a French ultralight trike, designed and produced by AEF Air Lift System of Houilles. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviati ...

. In 2014, the company decided to stop making electric motors to focus on the design of

propellers. On 9 July 2015, the electric MC15E CriCri ''E-Cristaline'' became the first electric aircraft to cross the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. By 2019, the propeller market for paramotors represented 40% of the company's sales. The company sold 4,500 models in over 80 countries. Originally E-Props propeller usage was restricted to

visual flight rules In aviation, visual flight rules (VFR) is a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better tha ...

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." By 2021, the company had 40 aeronautical engineers and technicians and was producing 45,000 propeller blades per year and had started work to

certify Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

its propellers and production methods to

European Union Aviation Safety Agency The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

standards (DOA / CS-P / PART 21G). 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. It exports 87% of its propeller production to 80 countries.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.e-props.fr Electric aircraft French companies established in 2008 Aircraft manufacturers of France Companies based in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur