Tag: electric aircraft

JSX Plans to Add Over 300 Hybrid-Electric Aircraft to Charter Fleet

Aviation International News reports that on Tuesday, public charter operator JSX “announced its intention to acquire more than 300 hybrid-electric aircraft from three different manufacturers as part of its efforts to decarbonize its US regional air services.” The fleet expansion plans “cover up to 332 aircraft, including a letter of intent with Electra for 82 of its nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft (32 firm orders and 50 options), up to 150 of Aura Aero’s 19-seat Era model (50 firm plus 100 options), and up to 100 of Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat ES-30 (50 firm and 50 options).” According to JSX, it “aims to start operating the first of the new aircraft in 2028, without saying which of the three new types will be delivered first.” The Texas-based company’s fleet currently “includes 48 of Embraer’s 30-seat ERJ145 aircraft, providing up to 120 public charter flights daily under DOT Part 380 and FAR Part 135 rules to 24 US destinations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

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)

Electra. Aero Debuts ‘Ultra’-Short Takeoff and Landing Demonstrator

Aerospace America reports that Electra.aero debuted its Goldfinch two-seat hybrid-electric demonstrator which the company hopes will put “it on the path toward completing a nine-passenger commercial version in time to enter service in 2028.” Electra Founder and CEO John Langford said the commercial version of the aircraft will be able to “get in and out of the Wall Street heliport and have a range of 500 miles with its full payload.” Langford said that Electra will only need 150 feet of runway to take off or land in most circumstances, and never more than 300 feet. MIT Aeronautics Professor John Hansman will pilot the Goldfinch on its first flight from Manassas Regional Airport in a few weeks, where Electra is based. Electra has “planned hundreds of test flights from Manassas and other locations.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)

The State of Electric Aviation in 2023

An article discussing the advancements made in electric aviation in 2023 in Aviation Today reports that the aviation industry is under sharp scrutiny for its environmental impact. As the industry is highly fossil fuel-reliant, it has invested heavily in new electric and hybrid-electric technologies that will make flying more sustainable. Some milestones for this year include Heart Aerospace developing an electric regional airline named the ES-30, which received an order for up to 40 of the aircraft from aircraft lessor Rockton in May. Another new advancement is Eviation’s development of zero-emissions aircraft Alice; aircraft lessor MONTE signed a letter of intent to purchase up to 30 of the aircraft. Both of these aircraft orders “highlight the increasing pressure the industry and its stakeholders feel to roll out cleaner technology.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

Megawatt Electrical Motor Could Electrify Aviation

CleanTechnica reported that a team of MIT engineers “is now creating a 1-megawatt motor that could be a key stepping-stone toward electrifying larger aircraft.” The team has “designed and tested the major components of the motor, and shown through detailed computations that the coupled components can work as a whole to generate one megawatt of power, at a weight and size competitive with current small aero-engines.” T. Wilson Professor in Aeronautics and the Director of the Gas Turbine Laboratory (GTL) at MIT Zoltan Spakovszky, who leads the project, said, “No matter what we use as an energy carrier – batteries, hydrogen, ammonia, or sustainable aviation fuel – independent of all that, megawatt-class motors will be a key enabler for greening aviation.” Spakovszky and members of his team, along with industry collaborators, “will present their work at a special session of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium (EATS) at [AIAA AVIATION Forum this week].”
More Info (Clean Technica)