Gallery: Europe’s GA And Bizav Showcase

Goodyear’s Essen, Germany-based Europe Blimp sails past the static display at Friedrichshafen, the city on Lake Constance where the first Zeppelin airship took flight in 1900. Local company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik built the contemporary Zeppelin NT version of the airship, which is used for sightseeing flights.

Aero Friedrichshafen organizers this year launched a concept called the Aero Business Aviation Show Hub (BASH), anchored by a glass-enclosed Business Aviation Dome and static display. They claimed to have the largest assemblage of business aircraft on static display of any trade event in Europe.

Planning for the expanded business aviation presence at Aero Friedrichshafen involved a partnership of two organizations, led by Robin-Julian Tiburtius of Munich-based events company Myle GmbH, left, and Aero Friedrichshafen Show Director Tobias Bretzel of fairnamic GmbH.

French aerobatics champion Mélanie Astles, l, and German pilot and author Kathrin Kaiser served on a panel of women aviators and executives during media day at Aero Friedrichshafen. Cate Brancart, General Aviation Manufacturers Association director of European safety and sustainability, moderated.

Swiss manufacturer Pilatus debuted its $6.8 million PC-12 Pro, a comprehensive upgrade of the turboprop single featuring the new Garmin G3000 Prime flight deck with Autoland and revamped interior. Experimental Test Pilot Marc Michel, center, flew the aircraft to Friedrichshafen from Pilatus’ facility at Buochs Airport, Switzerland.

Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft exhibited its SF50 Vision Jet and this SR22T turbocharged piston single. The company delivered 40 SR-series airplanes in Europe last year and has opened a distribution center in the Netherlands, said Todd Simmons, Cirrus president of customer experience.

Visitors peruse a Robinson R66 turbine single in the helicopter hangar at the Messe Friedrichshafen exhibition center, which hosted 25 rotorcraft. One new exhibitor was Airbus Helicopters, making its first appearance at the European trade show.

Deutsche Aircraft design and operations engineer Fulya Keles compared and contrasted bottles of conventional Jet A-1 and a Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The scent of the Jet A-1 was significantly sharper and more pungent than SAF.

Ground crew members pull the Liaoning Ruixiang RX4E four-seat battery electric airplane into position for taxiing during the E-Flight Airshow at Aero Friedrichshafen. Developed to China Civil Aviation Regulation Part 23, the RX4E was awarded type certification in China in December 2024.

The RX4E passes overhead. Max takeoff weight of the aircraft is 2,778 lb., of which 705 lb. is battery weight, according to specifications listed by developer Liaoning General Aviation Academy. Its electric propulsion unit delivers 150 kW max power. Cruise speed is 180 km/h, endurance 1.5 hr., and range 186 mi.

Also performing during the E-Flight Airshow was the Elektra Trainer, a two-seat electric ultralight aircraft developed by Elektra Solar GmbH, a spin-off company of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics. Designed for flight schools and clubs, it first flew on June 29, 2022 from Memmingen Airport, Germany.

Test pilot Uwe Nortmann departs the Elektra Trainer after landing. Capable of flying to 194 mi., the aircraft won Switzerland’s eTrophy cross-country flight challenge three times from 2022-24. “The ET is self-sufficient when using its solar trailer and therefore requires neither indoor space nor a power connection,” Elektra Solar says.

Goodyear’s Essen, Germany-based Europe Blimp sails past the static display at Friedrichshafen, the city on Lake Constance where the first Zeppelin airship took flight in 1900. Local company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik built the contemporary Zeppelin NT version of the airship, which is used for sightseeing flights.