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)

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)

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)

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)

United Airlines Aiming to Fly Electric Planes by 2030

CNBC reports that as United Airlines aims for net zero by 2050, it looks to fly electric planes on regional routes by 2030. The battery-powered aircraft are under development by “Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace,” and United ordered 100 of them in 2021 as well as making an undisclosed investment in the company. United Airlines Ventures President Mike Leskinen said, “We cannot continue doing and operating our business the way we do; it is imperative that we change it, and the way we’re going to change it is through investing in technology. Existing technology is going to either cause us to fly less, which is an unacceptable alternative, or continue with a carbon footprint, which we believe is equally unacceptable.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Wisk Aero Details Electric Test Aircraft, Production Plans

Aerospace America reported that Wisk Aero “showed off one of the electric test aircraft it has flown over the years and announced plans to reveal in October the first production aircraft of its next-generation design” at its company tent at the Farnborough Airshow. The production model of Wisk’s eVTOL “will have four seats instead of the two in the Cora test aircraft on display.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Despite Jammed Solar Panel, Cygnus Capsule Docks with ISS

AP reports, “A Northrop Grumman capsule delivered several tons of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday despite a jammed solar panel.” After liftoff, only one of the craft’s two solar panels opened. Despite controllers’ best attempts to open the stuck panel, the rocket still drew enough power with the functioning solar panel.
Full Story (Associated Press)

Boeing Recommends Air Taxi Safety Standards Mirror Those for Commercial Jets

Reuters reported that The Boeing Company “urged regulators on Tuesday to subject a new generation of air taxis to the same strict safety standards as commercial jets, saying the aircraft designed for short flights on demand should not be judged on a par with small planes.” Federal regulators are innovating design and operational requirements for the eVTOL air taxis, which would allow airline passengers to bypass street traffic. “Analysts say certification standards that air taxis must meet will be make-or-break for many of the new projects vying for investment.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Air Taxi Business May Get Early Business from Airline Alliance

Aerospace America reports that electric air taxi aircraft are seeing early customers in the form of the major airlines of American, United, and Delta. Examples include Delta’s $60 million investment in Joby Aviation, American placing a large pre-order with Vertical Aerospace, and United pledging to buy from Archer Aviation and Eve Air Mobility.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Robinson R44 Conducts First Flight with MagniX EPU

Aviation International News reports that Tier 1 Engineering “conducted the first flight of an all-electric Robinson R44 using the MagniX electric propulsion unit (EPU)” on Saturday. Tier 1 President Glen Dromgoole said, “This historic flight, of an all-electric helicopter with a certifiable electric engine, was an important step towards obtaining aircraft certification. We are excited to expand the flight tests to greater distances and demonstrate safe, reliable all-electric flight.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

NASA’s X-57 to Fly as Soon as December

Aviation Week reports, “NASA plans to attempt first flight of its X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft ‘no earlier than’ this December. The initial flight will be ‘very short’ and will set the stage for a series of follow-on flight tests of the fixed-wing demonstrator.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)