Colorado man wants to fly his electric plane to work, flights for approval

Jonathan Sawyer, a veteran aviator with years of experience, is fighting local authorities for approval to use an electric plane for his daily commute to his workplace. Operating out of his residential driveway in Jefferson County, Colorado, Sawyer’s aircraft was grounded by the local zoning officials following a complaint.

The man says that it would take him 16 minutes of flight time to reach the airport near his office. (Representational image). (Pexels)"I've been a pilot all my life for 50 years," Sawyer told CBS News. Initially, when Sawyer brought a plane, he clashed with the county and his neighbours.

They objected to him launching and landing a helicopter on his property. One of his neighbours, Patrick Sullivan, told the outlet, "I like that he pushes boundaries," adding, "I mean, that's kind of how America was made." Though he tried fighting it out, he lost.

So, he found a way around it and purchased an electric plane. He even sorted things out with his neighbours, who objected because his previous aircraft was noisy. "I bought it and worked with my neighbours because their objections were about noise and about gas, and an electric plane has neither of those problems," said Sawyer.

He added, “If you weren't actually looking around, paying attention, you wouldn't hear it.” "My plan is to commute from my driveway here to my office right next to the area airport, and I do so with this little airplane," Sawyer said.

He claimed that his aircraft would consume less electricity than the top electric cars. "Sixteen minutes uses less electricity than if I drove it in my Tesla. Very efficient, 16 minutes, and my office is 10 minutes from the airport." However, he said that after a few months, Jefferson County, whose violation program is complaint-based, received a complaint about Sawyer’s plane.

Eventually, he had to remove it, despite having the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly it. Despite the setback, the pilot with decades of experience is not ready to give up on his dream. He is still trying to get approval from the county to fly his electric plane freely.

"This is the future, and I just happen to be an early adopter of these new technologies.” The Trending Desk at HindustanTimes.com is a team of writers covering stories that spark conversations across the internet, from viral moments and celebrity updates to everyday news that gets people talking.

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