ABOVE: The maiden flight of F-WIAE took place at Toulouse-Francazal airport on 3 December

If you enjoy aerobatics, but not so much the burning of hydrocarbons to indulge your love of unusual attitudes, French aircraft pioneer Aura Aero is one step closer to being the first to make that combination a reality – having made the inaugural flight of the all-electric Integral E, a world first for an aerobatically-capable 100% electric trainer aircraft.

The Integral E is the third member of a clean-sheet family of two-seat trainer aircraft under development by Aura Aero, complementing the thermally-powered Integral S (tricycle-gear) and Integral R (taildragger) variants, which made their maiden flights in 2023 and 2020 respectively.

“The first flight of Integral E is a huge step forward, not only because the Integral family is now complete, but also because this aircraft is the first to address, in an electric version, many of the needs expressed by training schools and flying clubs,” explained Aura Aero President and Co-Founder Jérémy Caussade.

First unveiled at the Paris Air Show last year, the Integral E – which its manufacturers estimate will offer a cost per flight hour half that of a thermal aircraft in its category – will be available in either landing gear configuration. Powered by a Safran EngineUS motor (as opposed to the Lycoming IO-360-M1A / AEIO-360-M1A installed in its siblings), the Integral E promises a range of around one hour and a supercharging capacity of under 30 minutes.

Aura Aero celebrated the ‘power-on’ of the Integral E in February 2024, indicating at the time that the flight test campaign would commence within a matter of weeks. However, following the receipt of an EASA Permit to Fly in April, Aura Aero also had to obtain authorisation from the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority).

With the first deliveries of Integral R set to start at the beginning of 2025, the Integral E is expected to enter service in 2026. “We are very proud of what we have achieved in six years and the commercial success of the Integral family,” concluded Caussade. “Decarbonisation of aviation is now a reality!”

IMAGE: AURA AERO