Tag: electric

Vertical Aerospace Begins Ground Testing New Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “U.K.-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Vertical Aerospace is back to testing aircraft. The manufacturer has begun ground testing a new, more advanced full-scale prototype of its flagship VX4 air taxi after an initial prototype was damaged during an uncrewed flight test last year.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Collins Aerospace Opens ‘The Grid’ in Illinois

FlightGlobal reports that Collins Aerospace “has now opened ‘The Grid,’ a long-planned Illinois facility that houses its development of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for future aircraft.” The aerospace supplier “had previously intended to open the site in the city of Rockford in 2020.” But Collins “slowed some of its electric propulsion work during the Covid-19 pandemic.” The announced opening happened on Wednesday, with the site described as a “$50 million advanced electric power systems lab” focused on hybrid- and more-electric systems. Encompassing 2,323sq m (25,000sq ft) of space, the site “will initially support testing of equipment at power levels reaching 8MW.” Collins already “supplies massive generators to aircraft including Boeing’s 787 and has in recent years amped up its development of new electric aircraft systems.” It recently “developed a 1MW electric motor as part of a broader RTX project to modify a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 regional aircraft with a hybrid-electric propulsion system.” Pratt & Whitney Canada “is assisting with that project, which involves replacing one of the Dash 8’s P&WC PW120A turboprops with a hybrid-electric powertrain.” The companies “delayed the project during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently said they aim for the Dash 8 to get airborne with the hybrid system for the first time in 2024.” Separately, Collins and Pratt & Whitney “are jointly developing a broader line hybrid-electric systems for the emerging urban air mobility sector.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)

 

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Collins Aerospace opens advanced electric power systems lab, The Grid
(Collins Aerospace; YouTube)

How Airports Can Prepare for Future Electric Aircraft Operations

Aviation Today reports that engineering firm WSP “has taken the lead in assisting airports in the preparations for electric aircraft. With electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles on the horizon, WSP is working closely with clients to integrate these groundbreaking advancements into their master plans.” A significant project currently underway “is WSP’s collaboration with Philadelphia International Airport, where they are incorporating provisions for a state-of-the-art vertiport facility into the airport’s master plan update.” This approach “demonstrates the airport’s commitment to embracing advanced air mobility and ensuring seamless integration of eVTOLs into their operations.” WSP is also “spearheading the master plan for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, which encompasses the redevelopment of an existing vertiport to accommodate electric aircraft.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

NASA’s X-57 Program Concludes with No Flight

Aviation Week reported that after struggling for years “with a variety of technical problems and setbacks, NASA has decided to conclude its X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft demonstrator program at the end of September without attempting a flight.” The program “announced its decision on June 23 on a conference call with reporters.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

FAA Will Add Powered-Lift Aircraft to Air Carrier Category

BBC News reports that the FAA said on Monday that “it was proposing to expand its definition of the machines it considered air carriers from airplanes and helicopters, adding ‘powered lift’ to the list.” This is a big step forward in the regulation clearance for commercial air taxis, but the rules “now face a period of public comment before they can go into effect.” The agency also “said it expected to publish proposed rules for operating such aircraft in summer 2023. Those rules will outline in more detail the criteria that firms will need to meet to license pilots and launch their operations.”
BBC News (BBC News)

Air Taxis Clear One Regulation Hurdle

BBC News reports that the FAA said on Monday that “it was proposing to expand its definition of the machines it considered air carriers from airplanes and helicopters, adding ‘powered lift’ to the list.” This is a big step forward in the regulation clearance for commercial air taxis, but the rules “now face a period of public comment before they can go into effect.” The agency also “said it expected to publish proposed rules for operating such aircraft in summer 2023. Those rules will outline in more detail the criteria that firms will need to meet to license pilots and launch their operations.”
BBC News (BBC News)