Schlagwort-Archiv: electric aircraft

Atlantic Aviation and Lilium Unite to Electrify Regional Air Mobility

Atlantic Aviation, a leading fixed-based operation (FBO) and aviation services provider, has teamed up with Lilium N.V. (NASDAQ: LILM), developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, to prepare Atlantic’s network of more than 100 FBOs for the Lilium Jet’s regional air mobility service launch in the United States.

Lilium and Atlantic will focus on infrastructure deployment and operations, with an eye toward passenger experience, at existing and upcoming sites. Strategic planning will revolve around key drivers including aircraft flight paths, charging capabilities, passenger facilities, operations forecasting, and more. This comprehensive approach will ensure Lilium Jet operators have access to strategic points within Atlantic’s network of aviation facilities, working to optimize the passenger experience and paving the way for a new era of air travel.

Lilium’s planned commercialization approach focuses on manufacturing and selling an aircraft to various individuals and companies for private, premium and shuttle operations and thereafter providing aftermarket support and services. This go-to-market strategy will allow for a diverse revenue stream and is predicated on aviation facilities being ready for the Lilium Jet, emphasizing the value of partnering with Atlantic. Source: ‚AtlanticAviation‚.

Training goes electric at New Vision Aviation

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Nonprofit aviation education and flight school organization New Vision Aviation can now provide flight training in the group’s four Pipistrel Electro trainers thanks to an eight-year public-private collaboration to prove electric aircraft can be suitable for flight training. Located at the Fresno Chandler Executive Airport, New Vision Aviation, headed by President and CEO Joseph Oldham, has provided flight training and aviation industry education to young people from disadvantaged communities in the San Joaquin Valley in California since 2018.

New Vision Aviation has been training students in its Cessna 150, Cessna 172, and Interstate Cadet, and now, thanks to the FAA special light sport aircraft exemption, can finally use its fleet of electric Pipistrel Alpha Electros for flight training. Oldham is a general aviation pilot with a background in electric transportation who started the Sustainable Aviation Project (SAP), which received a million-dollar county transportation authority grant in 2016. New Vision Aviation was created to implement and complete the project.

The aircraft were delivered in March of 2018, FAA regulations that do not allow for electric powerplants in light sport aircraft precluded the use of those aircraft for flight training. Before issuing the exemption, the FAA told Oldham to gather data that proved the aircraft were safe. To get started, Pipistrel provided data loggers that plugged into the aircraft’s onboard computer to record flight data. That data went back to Pipistrel, where it was analyzed and put into charts that showed battery and other performance parameters. The process required Oldham to fly one of the aircraft for 100 hours to gather data, which proved difficult considering he was only able to get about 40 minutes of flight time on a full charge. Eventually, an engineer from another company working on electric aircraft suggested flying at a speed to optimize lift over drag, instead of what Pipistrel recommended for cruise speed, and eventually, Oldham was able to achieve an hour plus of flight time per charge, making the 100-hour mark more attainable. The FAA also dispatched an engineer to run specific tests with the aircraft, working in collaboration with Pipistrel to ensure the flights weren’t damaging the system in any way.

Oldham submitted the petition in September of 2019 and in June of 2023, the FAA reached out to let him know it was working on the petition and needed him to make a few small corrections. On January 22, Oldham finally received the news that his petition for exemption had been granted. Before New Vision Aviation can begin training with the Pipistrel fleet, the aircraft needs to go through an annual inspection and be recertified by an FAA-designated airworthiness representative). In the meantime, Oldham says the condition of the aircraft batteries needs to be analyzed, and some may need replacing. He hopes to have at least one of the aircraft ready to fly in 30 days. Source / entire report: ‚Niki Britton on AOPA USA‚.

Maiden Flight of the Diamond Aircraft eDA40

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On 20 July 2023, the all-electric eDA40 made its first flight at Diamond Aircraft’s headquarters in Wiener Neustadt (Austria). This marks a significant milestone for the manufacturer and all project partners and is a big step towards certifying the aircraft. The eDA40, which shall be the first EASA/FAA Part 23 certified electric aircraft, is designed to be an excellent electric circuit trainer powered by an ENGINeUSTM electric smart motor by Safran Electrical & Power and charged by Electric Power Systems (EPS) battery module equipped with a Direct Current (DC) fast charging system. Piloted by Diamond’s Head of Flight Test Sören Pedersen the maiden flight covered system checks, all basic manoeuvres and initial performance evaluation. The flight went as scheduled and delivered all results requested. The eDA40 is scheduled to be presented to the broader public at AERO Friedrichshafen 2024. Source: ‚Diamond Aircraft‚.

Tecnam to postpone the P-VOLT Programme

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After three years of intensive studies covering the entire lifecycle of an all-electric aircraft, Tecnam has concluded that the time for P-Volt is not yet ripe, although research activities will continue to explore new emerging technologies.

Since the beginning of the P-Volt development, Tecnam’s focus has been to provide operators with the ability to fly an all-electric passenger aircraft profitably, efficiently and sustainably in terms of operating costs, emissions, performance, turnaround and time to market. At present, Tecnam believes that these can only be achieved by extremely aggressive speculation on uncertain technology developments.

Tecnam has a deep understanding of electric flight, gained from previous projects such as the H3ps hybrid aircraft based on the P2010 four-seater, and today we have looked closely at state of art in energy storage and realistic 5-year developments, excluding technological revolutions that no one can speculate on. One of the conclusions was that an aircraft with a battery pack at the end of its life would not be the best product for the market, but certainly the worst in terms of Net Present Value (NPV).

The proliferation of aircraft with “new” batteries would lead to unrealistic mission profiles that would quickly degrade after a few weeks of operation, making the all-electric passenger aircraft a mere “Green Transition flagship” rather than a real player in the decarbonisation of aviation. Taking into account the most optimistic projections of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of the maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would fall below 170Wh/kg, and only a few hundred flights would drive operators to replace the entire storage unit, with a dramatic increase in direct operating costs due to the reserves for battery replacement prices.

With dozens of EASA and FAA certifications, Tecnam is the most active General Aviation manufacturer in the world with the highest number of new type certifications in recent years. The company’s mission has always been to design and manufacture products with the highest value for money in terms of efficiency, CO2 emissions, operating costs and profitability. Today, Tecnam believes these key factors cannot define a new aircraft development as “viable” with a target entry into service by 2026-2028.

Tecnam is constantly and closely monitoring the evolution of technologies capable of achieving net-zero emissions targets, working with the leading manufacturers of propulsion systems and providing them with direction and guidance, ready to bring the P-Volt back into the type certification arena as soon as technology evolution allows.

Fabio Russo, Tecnam’s Chief R&D Officer, said: “We don’t feel attracted by the “2026“ stream or any Electric Rush. Our culture has always been to commit to achievable goals with customers and operators, and we intend to keep that promise. We hope that new technologies will make businesses viable sooner rather than later, and we have real confidence in our partners’ ability to bring highly valuable products to the zero-emission powertrain and energy storage arena.” Source: ‚Tecnam website‚.

1st Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race

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The NAA is planning a cross-country air race for electric propulsion aircraft! The electric aircraft industry has been rapidly expanding in terms of technological readiness and the number of potential race contestants. The air race will be a resumption of the Pulitzer air races first held in the early 1920s. The race winner will be awarded the Pulitzer Trophy (on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC) at a suitable NAA awards event.

The first Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race, planned for May 2023, will be a four-day, 1,000 nm cross-country event beginning in Omaha, NE and ending near Kitty Hawk, NC. The race will be open to piloted aerodynes of all types using zero-emission electric propulsion (e.g., fixed-wing aeroplanes, helicopters, or multi-rotor eVTOL Advanced Air Mobility [AAM] vehicles). Because many potential competitors may be in a research and development phase and using experimental aircraft, the race will be a day-only, Visual Flight Rules (VFR) event. The race winner will be the pilot/crew with the fastest speed calculated from the cumulative flight time, not including time on the ground for maintenance, charging, or overnight stays. The NAA Pulitzer Race Committee developed the specific race rules available here.

The cross-country format, rather than a closed-circuit speed event, was selected to emphasize electric aircraft range and reliability and speed in a realistic operating environment. A cross-country race will require careful logistical planning from the race teams and highlight different electric propulsion technology choices and operational strategies such as rapid battery charging, whole battery changes, and solar power augmentation to extend range. As a long-distance, multi-day cross-country event open to all classes and types of electric aircraft, we have designed the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race to provide an open canvas for design innovations and be a flying expo for the electric aviation industry.

The Pulitzer STEM Challenge! The NAA will partner with nationally recognized Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) providers to leverage the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race as a STEM educational outreach opportunity. Fifth and sixth-grade school science classes will explore electrical power systems and their application to aeronautical engineering in the semester leading up to the race. Students will follow their favourite competitors in real time along with the rest of the world via publicly available internet flight tracking on FlightAware.com and here on the NAA Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race website.

Make History and Be Part of the Action! With the help of our sponsors, partners, and contestants, the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race can become the premier venue and showcase for the advancement of practical electric propulsion aircraft in terms of speed, distance, and reliability, much like the National Air Races of the 1920s and 1930s helped promote technological advances of internal combustion airplanes at the beginning of aviation. Source: ‚National Aeronautic Association (USA). ‚Rules‚.