AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 2023

Aero Friedrichshafen is Europe’s premier general aviation Expo. Unlike conventional airshows, it is an expo as it uses static displays inside the hangars, rather than flying displays, as for instance Oshkosh Airventure does. Given the German weather and a train strike, it is perhaps appropriate that the organisers were not relying on the gee-whizz crowd pull of an airshow.

- Guy Leitch

AERO EXPO IS Europe’s biggest convention focused solely on GA, held in Friedrichshafen, Germany. With 670 exhibitors the 2023 Expo is almost back to pre-Covid levels. For 2023 it once again maintained its focus on both traditional designs and future trends. The organisers say that a high percentage of the 27,200 visitors hold a pilot’s license.

The American based OEMs happily make the trip across the pond to support this Expo. Notably, Cirrus, Textron, Piper, Garmin and Boeing subsidiaries Jeppesen and Foreflight, were prominent. There was also a notable newcomer; Gulfstream Aerospace, which displayed the new G500 (the first large-cabin, global-range bizjet to visit Aero).

Despite the American presence Aero still has a strong European look and feel. European daily life is marked by a pervasive concern about carbon emission reductions, sustainable fuel, and the technology that advances those goals. This concern is reflected in Aero’s dedication to tracking progress in alternative propulsion schemes.

This year marked the tenth year that Aero dedicated exhibit halls to what it calls “e-flight expos.” There was a plethora of designs making use of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft — some of which are certified under EASA rules. This year’s e-flight expo had some 126 exhibitors.

There is a rich vein of new technology designs and pure research efforts. Technical universities in Germany and other European Union states sponsor programmes that allow students to learn the science behind electric and hydrogen propulsion. One large exhibit area showed off the work of students at six different German universities and Technikons.