Electric dreams at Aero Friedrichshafen

In his introductory remarks, Aero Friedrichshafen leader Tobias Bretzel said the 2025 iteration of the event included the most diverse array of aircraft and manufacturers yet. It also added several sub-events such as dayslong forums on hydrogen and battery technologies.

• Smartflyer. The hybrid-electric Smartflyer SFX1 is on display for the first time after its rollout in 2024, in Grenchen, Switzerland. Made of carbon fiber composite materials, the four-seater’s range is 431 nautical miles, and it emits 50 percent less carbon dioxide than conventional aircraft. The company has successfully tested a hybrid electric powertrain.
• Dovetail. Dovetail Electric Aviation strives to be the future of zero-emission regional flight. It aims to retrofit existing aircraft with electric and hydrogen-electric propulsion systems. At Aero, the Australian/Spanish company displayed its proprietary electric propulsion system, Dovepower and an energy storage system, Dovepack, designed to meet Certification Specification 23 standards (the European equivalent of FAR Part 23). Dovepower is currently integrated into a Cessna Caravan, and the company is working on the approval of a supplemental type certificate that will convert the aircraft into a true zero-emission electric platform, reducing operation costs by up to 40 percent.
• Dutch Pavilion (AeroDelft). AeroDelft is a student-owned and student-run team and a nonprofit foundation. It displayed its prototype drone and the prototype of a Sling 4 aircraft with a liquid-hydrogen electric powertrain. According to Aero Delft, these efforts represent the first student team to successfully test a liquid-hydrogen propulsion system designed for aircraft.

• Oskar-Ursinus-Vereinigung (OUV). “Dreaming, building, flying“ is the motto of this organization, with 1,200 members all over Germany. It assists anyone reconstructing a kit airplane, self-designed aircraft, or vintage aircraft during all parts of the process, employing a project committee consisting of aerospace engineers called assessors, who advise and help builders, ultimately preparing the report for the Luftfahrt Bundesamt, the German equivalent of the FAA. Every year, members meet at a convention, visiting seminars and exchanging information about their projects.
• Business Aviation Dome. Arguably the biggest novelty at Aero is the 2,000-square-meter (21,500-square-foot) floor space dubbed the business aviation show hub (BASH). For the first time at Aero, business aviation has its dedicated space to facilitate networking. In addition to the actual dome, two exhibition halls complete the space, which also features its own static display. Central to the dome is a speaker stage with a 430-square-foot LED wall, where experts can talk about sustainability, innovation, and the shortage of skilled workers.

An integral part of the press event was a panel featuring influential women aviators, moderated by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s Cate Brancart. Panelists included Lindsay Allmon, vice president of marketing at Blackhawk Aerospace Group; Kathrin Kaiser, organizer of the Grumman fly-in and author; Mélanie Astles, aerobatic pilot and general manager of SAS Airmel, France; and Susan Ying, cofounder and chief commercial officer at Ang Fei in China, and board member of El-Fly in Norway.

The women told their stories about how they got into aviation. Ying remembered how she was told that it wasn’t for girls and how she found a flight school that let her wash aircraft for lessons, while Astles remembered how she worked at a gas station for seven years to earn money for flight training. They stressed the importance of sustainable aviation fuels “to address the problem and not contribute to it,” said Ying.