Pipistel NUUVA V300 Lifts Off

Dean Sigler Announcements, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Pipistrel’s LinkedIn page features a happy headline and the culmination of a long development process. “Reaching new heights! ✈️ We’re thrilled to share that the Nuuva V300 – our long-range, large-capacity hybrid-electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned aircraft – successfully completed its first hover flight. 👏” Pipistrel, a division of Textron eAviation, announced that its new NUUVA V300 hybrid-electric unmanned VTOL aircraft successfully completed its first flight on January 31, 2025, in Gorizia, northeastern Italy, next to the Slovenian border. The page continues, “With a 600-pound payload and a range of up to 300 nautical miles, the aircraft’s unique capabilities and robust design will not only transform logistics, but also play a crucial role in commercial and defense missions such as search and rescue, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and ship-to-shore deliveries.” AeroTime reports that the newly flown heavy lifter can haul up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds or three Euro pallets) up to 300  kiilometers (186 miles).  Reporter Miquel Ros …

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 …