The rising price of fuel gives a boost to the country's emerging zero-emissions market as pilot training schools in the UK look for instructors who can teach on electric-powered planes.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seater training aircraft powered by batteries, only became certified in the UK last year.
The director of the UK and Ireland distributor of Pipistrel said his school and three others were recruiting instructors to meet the demand for more sustainable and cheaper training.
According to Mahajan, seven VelisElectros are currently flying in the UK. The first school in the country to offer a private pilot's licence on electric planes was his school. He said that theRAF has them as trainers as well.
Lower operating costs and being much quieter are some of the advantages of Pipistrel's electric engine.
The aircraft battery takes about 90 minutes to charge and is not ideal for cross-country flights.
Mahajan would like to encourage aerodromes to buy electric charging stations. Ten airports have already installed them and at least one is powered by solar panels. He said that they are building up a network of charging points.
Financial is the most important draw to flying schools. The hourly running cost of the Velis Electro is less than Pipistrel's plane because of the high fuel prices.
The cost of Mahajan's electric aircraft is around 3 dollars per hour. The sister plane is $30 an hour.
The schools will have to pay off the cost of the aircraft purchase in order for the price for the student to be several times higher.
Many airfields use fleets of planes that are decades old in order to reduce their costs. It could take time before flying schools can lower their prices because electric aircraft have to be bought new from the factory.
Mahajan said that a new plane is like a new car and you have to pay a lot of money upfront. The maintenance is very low.
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