Additional reporting by Bartholomew Hall
A group of young pilots has become the first to take a completely electric-certified aircraft across the Channel from France to Kent.
Aged between 17 and 23, Iestyn Harvey, Gabriel Tramolay, Elizabeth Glud, and Noam Perron form the Elektro Tour Team.
The group left Lyon-Bron airport in France in the aircraft on July 1 and has been stopping at airports along the way to recharge their batteries.
Yesterday (July 9), they arrived at Rochester Airport, before heading to Gatwick.
The group is aiming to show that young people can handle big challenges and to highlight the future of electric planes, reducing CO2 emissions and noise pollution.
In 2023, they completed a flight in the aircraft over the French Alps, with the aim of going “as high as possible”.
Speaking to KMTV yesterday, pilot Iestyn said this then sparked the idea of trying to go “as far as possible,” and last year, they completed the first tour of France in an electric plane
He explained: “This year we decided to do the first ever Channel crossing in a certified electric plane and to be the first electric plane to land at London Gatwick.
“So far, it’s going amazing, we’ve had great weather, a lot of help from our partners throughout this project.
“The whole idea of this project was to convey the advances of electric aviation to all ages.
“The aviation sector is still something that kids can dream of and think of having a job in the future as an airline pilot – maybe in an electric plane one day or all sorts of energy.
“This is a first step towards a greener aviation, and in the upcoming years, we’re expecting to see many more projects come to life.
“We’re kind of the pioneers of electric aviation today. You can have your private pilot licence, from the age of 17.
“We’ve gone through a rigorous training process in France, so we’ve got all the licences necessary to be able to complete all of these flights.”
The plane, the Pipistrel Velis Electro, is the first full-electric type certified aircraft – meaning it is the only which has been given the go-ahead from aviation authorities to take to the skies.
He says the experience has been “really interesting” while also “challenging”.
He added: “We’ve gained a lot of flight experience from flying in France and in the UK.
“It’s a bit of a challenge as with this aircraft as we have a limited endurance, so we have to do really precise calculations regarding how much endurance we’ll have once we land.”
Fellow pilot Gabriel, 17, obtained his private pilot license in January 2024.
He said: “We’ve taken it to another level this year with the first channel crossing. It was an amazing experience.”
He says the main difference between the electric plane and a standard aircraft is the noise.
“It’s way less noisy,” he said. “Another difference is usually on a normal plane, the propeller would slow down the aeroplane a little when we go to idle.
“This effect is not reproduced on this aircraft because it’s a completely free-spinning prop, so it’s kind of a glider.
“It is an advantage but also an inconvenience when it comes to landing because you really need to manage your speed because you cannot slow it down easily.
“But we don’t have any sort of anxiety, because everything is planned so we know if we depart from an airfield, we’re going to make it to the destination.”
Pilot Elizabeth, 22, says the Channel crossing was “quite exciting”.
She explained: “It was really satisfying to see the English coast, coming closer and closer as the minutes were passing by.
“The feeling of landing on the other side of the channel was really rewarding.
“We are really happy to have experienced this, and proud of doing this, and of bringing our plane onto English ground.”
Rochester Airport Manager Kelvin Carr says he was surprised when he first heard the group wanted to stop at the site.
He said: “Rochester Airport itself has got quite a lot of historical milestones which we’ve achieved over the years.
“We’re just part of that history – and it’s good to see the youngsters actually taking the bit between the teeth and trying to achieve history.”
The plane has an endurance of about 50 minutes, plus some reserves, meaning it is a good choice for pilot training.
Kerry Wilmot from NeboAir said: “When we heard about the fantastic Elektro Tour and what these young guys were doing, we decided that it would be good to reach out to them to collaborate to offer the charging infrastructure within the UK.
“Every pilot learning to fly, whether they’re going to be fast jets, airline pilots, or just a conventional pilot enjoying their aircraft, puts approximately 5.5 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere during their journey to get their licence.
“This aircraft helps to address that with not just the emissions, but also noise pollution on airfields.”
