Bye Aerospace announced today (May 29) that Hopscotch Air, an on-demand air-taxi operator serving the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and eastern Canada with a fleet of Cirrus piston singles, has signed a letter of intent for four all-electric Bye aircraft. The LOI includes a single eFlyer 2 trainer and three four-place eFlyer 4s. Having begun operations in 2009, Hopscotch Air now completes approximately 1,400 flights per year “at fares far below traditional charter prices,” according to the company. Like Hopscotch Air’s Cirrus aircraft, the eFlyer 4 will be equipped with an emergency ballistic parachute system. The certification process is ongoing, and Bye Aerospace CEO Rod Zastrow told AVweb that the FAA has accepted its certification plans, its “methods and means of compliance,” and its functional hazard analyses (FHA); described as an an engineering assessment of “what could go wrong” and how to mitigate those risks.
Zastrow said of the Hopscotch commitment, “The eFlyer 4 is perfect for regional mobility. Its spacious cabin comfortably seats a pilot and three passengers, with ample luggage space. We see it reaching speeds upwards of 200 knots with a range of over 300 miles based on industry aviation battery energy-density projections.”
Andrew Schmertz, founder and CEO of Hopscotch Air, said, “We believe Bye Aerospace has a clear path to FAA Part 23 certification, a disrupting technology for short-haul charter operations.” Schmertz noted that one of Hopscotch Air’s most popular missions, the 191-mile flight from suburban New York’s White Plains Airport to Nantucket, would take less than an hour in the eFlyer 4, compared to a seven-hour drive. “The clean, quiet eFlyer, with its significantly reduced operating costs, is incredibly important to our customer and increasing future business opportunities,” he said.
This version of the news brief includes updated information on the Bye Aerospace certification program from CEO Rod Zastrow.
