Bye Aerospace

Bye Aerospace is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Englewood, Colorado. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of electric aircraft, including unmanned aircraft for geospatial role and light aircraft for the flight training role.[1] The company was founded by George E. Bye, who remains the CEO.[2]

Bye Aerospace
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
FounderGeorge E. Bye
Headquarters
Englewood, Colorado
,
United States
Key people
CEO: George E. Bye
ProductsElectric aircraft
SubsidiariesAero Electric Aircraft Corporation
Websitewww.byeaerospace.com

History

In July 2010, Bye Energy developed a proof-of-concept electrically powered Cessna 172 with support from Cessna Aircraft.[3] Bye Energy changed its name to Beyond Aviation at the time that the prototype commenced taxi tests in July 2011.[4] The aircraft first flew in 2012.[5] The R&D project was not pursued for production and the company is currently dormant.[6][7]

The company developed the Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer, a modified PC-Aero Elektra One, as a prototype electric aircraft in 2015.[8][9][10]

The development of the Sun Flyer 2 was originally carried out by a Bye Aerospace subsidiary, called the Aero Electric Aircraft Corporation.[11][12] As of March 2018, it was being merged into the parent company.

Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer 2 prototype

By July 2015, the company was developing the Sun Flyer 2, a two-seat electric-powered aircraft for the flight training role.[11] By March 2016, Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. has delivered the prototype for final stages of development.[13] It was rolled-out in May 2016.[12] By July 2016, first flight was planned in the fall.[14] By November 2016, ground and taxi tests had begun.[15] It was first flown on 10 April 2018.[16] The derivative Sun Flyer 4 is a four-seat design, yet to be completed.[17] Both aircraft are low-wing designs, with bubble canopies, made from composite materials, predominately carbon fibre. Both are powered by lithium-ion batteries.[18]

The launch customer for both the Sun Flyer 2 and 4 is the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology which will employ both for flight training.[14][17] By September 2018, the company had 130 deposits for the two-seat Sun Flyer 2 and 27 deposits for the larger, four-seat Sun Flyer 4.[18]

On July 31, 2018, Bye Aerospace flew a piloted prototype of its solar-powered unmanned StratoAirNet and manned Solesa from the Northern Colorado Regional Airport. Based on a carbon fiber composite competition sailplane, it has a 15 m (49.2 ft) wing span and thin-film photovoltaic cells from SolAero Technologies. The low-cost, long-endurance commercial and government surveillance aircraft could be used for patrol, mapping, precision agriculture or search-and-rescue and has low infrared and acoustic signatures.[19]

Also under development, in conjunction with the XTI Aircraft Company, is the TriFan 600, a hybrid-electric VTOL business aircraft. Previously, the company developed the Silent Falcon UAV for Silent Falcon UAS Technologies.

In August 2019, the company announced that it was partnering with OXIS Energy to develop a Lithium–sulfur battery for use in the four-seat Sun Flyer 4.[20]

On August 21, 2019, Bye announced the sale of 26 aircraft to Los Angeles-based air taxi operator Quantum Air.[21][22]

Bye Aerospace plans a future all-electric six- to nine-seat aircraft, when battery technology improves enough to give range and performance to compete with traditional fossil-fuel powered executive aircraft.[23]

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Bye Aerospace:

References
  1. Bye Aerospace. "Contact". byeaerospace.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  2. Bye Aerospace. "About". byeaerospace.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  3. Grady, Mary (October 2010). "Electric 172 May Fly Early Next Year". AVweb. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  4. Grady, Mary (July 2011). "Electric Cessna 172 Starts Taxi Tests". AVweb. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  5. "Electric Cessna Makes Multiple Flights on Lithium Batteries". evworld.com. 19 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  6. "Beyond Aviation Archive Project". www.beyond-aviation.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  7. Koonce, Michael. "Stangerone-Bye Interview". YouTube. Aero-News Network. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. William Garvey (1 April 2015). "Questions for George Bye". Aviation Week Network.
  9. "AEAC's Sun Flyer Aims to Be The Next Generation Flight Training Aircraft". AviationPros. 16 July 2015.
  10. Elaine Kauh (20 July 2015). "Sun Flyer Prototype On Assembly Line". AVweb.
  11. "Sun Flyer Promises Three-Hour Flight Time". AvWeb. 23 July 2015.
  12. "Sun Flyer Proof-Of-Concept Model Rolls Out". AvWeb. 11 May 2016.
  13. Elaine Kauh (4 March 2016). "Sun Flyer Prototype Readying For Final Tests". avweb.com.
  14. Huber, Mark (26 July 2017). "Electric Sun Flyer Plans Fall First Flight". AIN Online.
  15. Kauh, Elaine (17 November 2016). "Sun Flyer Begins Ground, Taxi Tests". AVweb.
  16. Grady, Mary (11 April 2018). "First Flight For Sun Flyer 2". AVweb.
  17. Cobb, Alyssa J. (24 July 2017). "Four-Seat Sun Flyer in the Works". AOPA.
  18. "Projects". Bye Aerospace.
  19. Graham Warwick (27 August 2018). "The Week In Technology, Sept. 3-7, 2018". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  20. O'Connor, Kate (8 August 2019). "Bye Looks To Lithium-Sulfur For Electric Aircraft Power". AVweb. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  21. Lincoln, Alexis (21 August 2019). "Quantum Signs for 26 Electric Airplanes from Bye Aerospace". Bye Aerospace. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  22. "Air taxi disruptor buys Bye's electric airplanes". www.aopa.org. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  23. Kate Sarsfield (5 June 2020). "Bye Aerospace to expand eFlyer family with six-to-nine-seat model". Flightglobal.
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