Elixir autoclave investment brings all aircraft production in-house

Elixir Aircraft (La Rochelle, France) has opened a second production site, equipped with two autoclaves, one of which measures more than 12 meters long. The company now controls the entire production process for its aircraft, including the composite 140-horsepower Elixir 915iS Turbo which the company unveiled at the AERO Friedrichshafen show.

To date, 40 Elixir aircraft have been ordered, including those for 15 French flying clubs, including the Airbus Flight Academy Europe (Champniers, France), whose fleet will soon include four Elixir aircraft. 

Since 2019, Elixir has evolved, grown and restructured itself. It has obtained EASA CS-23 certification, opened two new production sites in La Rochelle  — one of which is a 2,300-square-meter building housing final assembly line, design office and all supporting functions to internalize its production of OneShot composite parts, namely the Elixir fuselage and wings  — and delivered its first aircraft, while still continuing to develop new products.

During June 2021, the first four pre-production Elixirs, including the prototype of the 915iS version, were completed and are flying daily. With sales being a great success, the company says the production of these aircraft was immediately followed by the first 10 productions of Elixir. In February 2022, the Elixir MSN005 was the first aircraft delivered to a customer.

In parallel with the industrialization of the Elixir 912is, Elixir Aircraft has continued to develop its range. In addition to its versatile 100CV Rotax, Elixir Aircraft is offering its 915is Turbo version, an EASA CS-23-certified aircraft with high performance and lower fuel consumption compared to older-generation aircraft. According to the company, its new Elixir aircraft offers a power of 140CV turbo, enabling a cruising speed of 158 knots at 85% or 150 knots at 75%. The respective autonomies are 473 nautical miles and 578 nautical miles.

Regarding its configuration, the Elixir 915iS has a carbon fiber OneShot structure strictly identical to its little brother, the 912iS. On the other hand, in order to keep its spin-resistant behavior, crucial for safety, new aerodynamic winglets have been developed. New engine covers offer optimal cooling in all conditions of use, and a full Garmin glass cockpit has also been added, a premise of what will be the future IFR version.