A first for Estonia: Fully electric aircraft lands at Tartu Airport
On Wednesday, a fully certified electric airplane, the Elektra Trainer, landed at Tartu Airport after a flight from Helsinki, marking a first for Estonia. The aircraft is on a European tour that will take it through the Baltic states and Poland.
Aviation history was made at Tartu Airport on Wednesday when the Elektra Trainer, a fully certified electric airplane, landed after a flight from Helsinki. The aircraft is on a tour of Europe. From Tartu, the Elektra Trainer will travel through the other Baltic states and Poland, eventually completing its over 5,000-kilometer journey back to its starting point in Bavaria, Germany.
Pilot Uwe Nortmann described the experience as fun and relaxing, comparing it to driving an electric car versus a conventional one—no need to rush, just energy conservation. The environmental footprint of the electric aircraft is significantly smaller than that of gasoline-powered planes.
The aircraft has sparked great interest among Estonian aviation experts. Karl-Erik Unt, head of the aviation engineering department at the Estonian Aviation Academy, noted that unlike conventional fuel aircraft, an electric plane does not lose mass during flight, requiring a fuselage designed to maintain the center of gravity. The Academy sees high potential for this technology in initial pilot training, where cheaper electric energy helps keep costs low. "An electric airplane will be very beneficial for a flight school. You can do completely different things with an electric aircraft compared to a conventional internal combustion engine plane," said Unt.
