Two Electric Approaches to Coastal Waterways

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Two electric approaches to providing seaside flight come from cold and warm climates and from elevations close to sea level to topping Norwegian fjords.  Both rely on electric power to carry up to 12 passengers between seaside destinations. Regent Seaglider If the Wall Street Journal can overcome its skepticism and marvel at the $7 billion in letters of intent or other forms of interest, they might look into what seems to be drawing potential customers.  That may come from the company’s mission, “To drastically reduce the cost and headache of regional transportation between coastal cities.” Skimming the water at up to 180 mph, the Regent Viceroy employs Wing In Ground effect (WIG) aerodynamics to lift it high enough to skim the waves while benefiting from flight in ground effect.  That cushion of air that helps sustain an aircraft on initial takeoff stays with the Viceroy during its entire flight, reducing the power needed and extending the range. With today’s batteries, …

MagniX Powers a Dash 7

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MagniX Motors in Everett, Washington looks forward to powering a short-field performance champion, the DeHavilland Dash 7. The Dash 7 is a pretty astonishing short field aircraft, emulating the bush planes of the far north, home to its Canadian maker.  Measuring its take-off and landing capabilities, this video shows what four Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turbines can do for a 40,000 pound airplane. As shown, the craft can carry heavy load from and into some pretty isolated territory without the need for sophisticated airport support systems. The idea of such performance and load-hauling is not a new idea, World War Two, and subsequent conflicts demonstrating the need for the need to get in and out of scarcely viable landscapes. To drive the point home, here’s a second video of a Dash 7 landing with 5,700 liters (10,088 pounds) of Jet-A on board.  Not only is it a short landing but a very precise one, the main gear staying within bounds …

Autoflight and CATL’s New Relationship

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AutoFlight and battery developer CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., announced “an exclusive strategic investment and cooperation agreement, a relationship valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”  Uniting these two technological leaders, the agreement provides developmental cash to AutoFlight and a platform for CATL to expand their electric aviation market. A Trip Across the Yangtze An August 1 flight across the Yangtze River highlighted how the strengths of this new relationship can grow both companies.  Nanjing, an ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, is only one of 29 major cities on either side of the great river.  All face the same transportation difficulties.  The 5.5 kilometer straight-line distance between Nanjing UAV Base and Yuzui Wetland Park, for instance, “requires a 20 kilometer drive that takes 25 minutes. However, an eVTOL aircraft can cover this distance in just five minutes,”  cutting travel time by 80 percent,” according to AutoFlight.  Even worse, holiday travelers around popular tourist destinations can slow traffic by …

The New, Improved Hexa 2

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Started in 2017, Matt Chasen’s Lift Aircraft has been promoting an 18-rotor, single-seat Hexa – now replaced by the new, improved Hexa 2.  Featuring more power, better batteries, improved structure and more refined electronics, the 2 seems like a reflection of the improvements generally available to electric aircraft. According to the company, “HEXA was the first eVTOL(electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft to enter production and pay-per-flight operations in the United States. We’ve produced a fleet of 16 aircraft and have showcased them in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In 2023, we launched the world’s first pay-per-flight eVTOL operations in Austin, Texas, and in 2024 we launched our 25 city U.S. tour.” Because it’s an ultralight, Hexa 2 avoids many of the complexities of certification and that enables more frequent updates and application of improved technologies. Hexa has been demonstrated at multiple air and trade shows, and even provided a ride for news personality Anderson Cooper.  …

Electra Aero Goldfinch on Grass

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Anyone astonished at the brilliant short-field performance of the Electra Aero Goldfinch from a paved runway a few weeks ago will be equally surprised at its agility from a grass runway.  This eSTOL (electric Short Take Off and Landing) airplane seems to perform well even from unimproved runways. In its own press release, the company reports on the small craft’s ability to take off and land on “austere fields smaller than 300 feet that are minimally prepared.”  Citing its work with “Agile Combat Employment and expeditionary missions” for the military, explains the economy of such craft.  “Small, affordable, runway-independent eSTOL aircraft could also alleviate demand on larger, few-in-number, high performance fixed wing and rotorcraft platforms in a contested logistics environment.” That’s a 32-degree angle of climb, by the way, according to the AOPA Pilot report. More Usable Runways Aircraft like the Goldfinch and its larger commuter liner coming from Electra would open up otherwise unusable “airports” which might be nothing …

Joby Plus Hydrogen: 523 Miles

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Hybrid Aircraft, hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Combine the Joby S4 pre-production prototype with H2 Fly’s expertise in providing clean energy, and watch world records fall. 2021 155-Mile Battery Flight Justin Paines, Joby’s Chief Test Pilot, guided the eVTOL through eleven circuits of a pre-designated route and managed 154.6 miles (248.8 km) in just 77 minutes. JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder, noted his firm had, “achieved something that many thought impossible with today’s battery technology.”  Batteries have improved since then, but an alliance with a German hydrogen program makes even longer flights possible. 2024’s Hydrogen Odyssey In an even greater demonstration of its capabilities, an S4 powered by hydrogen managed a 523 mile, non-stop flight on June 24, 2024.  Powering around a circuit above Marina, California, the craft landed with 10 percent of its 40-kilogram (88 pound) hydrogen load still available. A collaboration between Joby and Germany’s H2-Fly uses much of the same system as H2-Fly’s Hy4 aircraft, a re-engineering of the G4 designed by Tine Tomažič, head …

Volocopter Faces 2024 Paris Olympics Hurdles

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Despite much fanfare and promises of Parisian skies filled with visions of electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) machines carrying passengers to Olympics events across the City of Light, Volocopter may be left in the dark. A Double Blow eVTOL Insights reported a double blow to Volocopter’s plans late last year.  “On Friday (November 17th), news broke that Volocopter’s plans to begin a 15 minute air taxi flight in the Marina Bay area of Singapore, early next year, alongside the hiring of key staff, has been put on hold – indefinitely – as the German company cannot secure local partners to share the large funding required for such an enterprise.” As though though that were not enough, On November 19th, Volocopter’s future “jewel in its crown” flights over Paris during the Olympic Games, next July and August, were sharply downgraded.  Local politics seem to blame. eVTOL Insights reports, “The French Capital’s councillors have reacted to the idea with a …

Lilium and Whisper: Quiet Flyers

Dean Sigler Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Hybrid Aircraft, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation 1 Comment

Two radical-looking electric aircraft, both quiet flyers, contrast in flight modes – eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing), and eCTOL (electric Conventional Take Off and Landing).  Germany’s Lilium and America’s Whisper Jet show their unique ways. Lilium Founded in 2015, Lilium, like most of its competitors, is less than a decade old, but already boasts 950 employees in four offices.  The workers come from six continents and comprise 58 nationalities, a winner in any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ranking.  They make an impressive product. Lilium is an expensive machine, costing around $7 million plus.  Its marketing approach seems to be toward the VIP set and its first locations are in cash-rich areas such as the French Riviera and along Florida’s eastern shoreline.  Despite the glossy façade, there’s a solid array of engineering inside. Batteries One of the first questions your editor had on early versions of Lilium’s aircraft was where they hid the batteries.  Recent news from the company …

Vaeridion: Multi Motors with One Propeller

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Emulating Otto Lilienthal Vaeridion, a German startup, plans on building a long-winged regional airliner for nine passengers that purportedly transports them on very low levels of energy. Their design philosophy, summed up on the first page of their web site, echoes the idea propounded by Otto Lilienthal, “The key to flying lies in wing design, not in more powerful engines.  Vaeridion embraces this ideal in their approach.  “As clean energy is scarce and a transition to zero emission mobility is essential, we need a paradigm shift. “Therefore, we have focused on energy-efficient aircraft design that makes a difference. Our electric Microliner can fly with the lowest energy consumption for up to 9 passengers plus crew, for distances up to 500 [kilometers].” Vaeridion’s Microliner, a slender craft carried on long, high-aspect-ratio wings, will be powered by a remarkable two-motor, single-propeller powerplant. According to ERA, the European Regional Airline Association, “VÆRIDION is accelerating the green transformation of aviation with a small electric …

AutoFlight Celebrates Two Milestones

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AutoFlight, the Chinese firm founded by Tian Yu (Yuneec), celebrated two milestones, although maybe not “firsts” as described in the company’s press releases.  Both, however, are impressive and worthy of note. First Intercity Flight AutoFlight claims to have flown the first inter-city electric air-taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai.  In an autonomous trip, AutoFlight’s five-seat Prosperity eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft flew the 50km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car.  For those with the funds to make the flight the difference in time is incalculable. According to the company, “This marks the first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route, spanning across the bay where the Pearl River meets the sea, connecting the two southern Chinese cities.”  In 2021, Australians flew a Pipstrel Alpha Electro …