November 8th, 2024: At a rollout event on the evening of November 6th at Grenchen Airport (LSZG), the prototype of the Smartflyer SFX1 was ceremoniously unveiled and presented to the public in front of 120 invited guests from aviation, business, politics and the media. This was a big moment for the entire Smartflyer team and a first highlight in the eight-year development history of the hybrid-electric travel and training aircraft, as Smartflyer reports. The first flight is scheduled for 2025 and the search for investors is ongoing.
Smartflyer AG is looking for new investors for the next steps so that the prototype can get into the air next year. One Certification is planned with an industrial partner so that the Smartflyer SF1 then in 2030 commercial use can go. This means that the Smartflyer SF1, as the aircraft will be called in series production, will be the first electric aircraft with a replaceable energy source and will revolutionize aviation in the “general aviation” sector, it goes on to say.
After the rollout, which was carried out with great success – broadcast live by the Swiss television in prime time – the prototype will soon be ready for the ground test phase, for which the final move to Grenchen Airport is planned. The Smartflyer SFX1 has a design that developed from scratch and was designed and optimized for pure electric drive. What is striking is the electric motor with propeller located on the vertical stabilizer Thrust its best effect achieved. The batteries are housed in the wing, where the large mass is neutral in bending moment. There is room for one in the nose of the four-seat aircraft Range Extender or additional batteries, depending on the needs of the planned mission.
The SFX1 prototype is scheduled to take to the air for the first time in 2025 and will be operated purely electrically in the airport area. That will be the one The learning mission massively reduce. A range extender helps in cruising Range of 800 km to reach. The small combustion engine runs in the optimal range. With the use of the Smartflyer, emissions are reduced CO2 reduced by half compared to a four-seater aircraft with a conventional piston engine. pd
SkyNews.ch reported on Smartflyer in the October 2024 issue, and a report will also appear in the December issue.
Rollout film by Matthias Hänni:
