The story behind E-Flight Academy

In 2020 the first electric aircraft were certified according to the strict requirements of EASA, the European aviation regulator. These aircraft have been specially developed for flight training. It is now possible to train pilots without emitting emissions during flight. In addition to the CO2 savings, the aircraft is also significantly quieter than conventional training aircraft.

Due to these technological developments, the ambitions of the government and the call for sustainability, we believe that flight schools should switch to electrically powered aircraft within ten years. E-Flight Academy is the first organization in the Netherlands to take this step now and to deploy electric flying on this scale.

Our goal is to make flying more sustainable. We do this by starting with the deployment of electric aircraft wherever possible. The knowledge and experience we gain from this will be needed by the sector to transport passengers with larger electric aircraft in the future.

Our vision for a flight school goes beyond just electric flying. For example, we are developing new simulators to reduce the need to fly. We are digitizing all the processes you encounter during training. In 2022 we purchased a hangar at Teuge airfield. This hangar is called E-Deck and since 2023 we have been flying on the sun. In addition to being a beautiful meeting and event location, E-Deck is an energy generator with over 500 solar panels on the roof. We store this power in a large battery. So quite literally, we fly on the sun

Meet Evert-Jan Feld (left) and Matthijs Collard (right). Evert-Jan began his career in the armed forces, where he spent many hours flying different airplanes and helicopters. In recent years, he worked as a pilot, instructor, and examiner at ANWB and several flight schools. Among other roles, he served as Head of Training. With the rise of electrification in aviation, Evert-Jan saw the opportunity to start a new flight school.

Matthijs had only logged flight hours as a passenger. Yes, those were vacation flights. And in recent years, he was not exactly proud of that. He prefers to drive a few thousand kilometers with his family in his electric car. A few years ago, he wondered whether he could contribute something to making aviation more sustainable. He stepped away from his role as director and digital designer at his design agency, went looking, and met Evert-Jan.

While Evert-Jan focuses on the quality of the training, Matthijs works on digitizing the processes and creating the ultimate customer experience. Even beyond flying.