Piper Germany and the MDA1 Electric Commuter

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

Flieger magazine reports, “Piper Deutschland AG has announced a strategic investment in MD Aircraft GmbH . The goal of the collaboration is to advance the development and production of the all-electric regional aircraft MDA1 eViator.” (Note: based on later reporting, the power bays may be incorporated into the lower part of the fuselage.  The blog will attempt to gain verification of this.) Signed on September 19, 2025, the agreement “is intended to mark the start of a new chapter in aviation for Piper – with a focus on innovation and environmental sustainabilit,” according to Flieger. Providing MD the financial stability of Piper’s funding and for Piper the planned design for a twin-motored commuter liner in the size and performance range familiar to established Piper customers, the compact should be beneficial to both companies. The MDA1 Aircraft An “all-electric short-haul aircraft with a range of up to 400 kilometers (248 miles),” The MDA1 should suit the needs of most regional commuter lines internationally. We wrote …

Dornier DS-2C – a Hydrogen Hydroavian

Dean Sigler Announcements, Electric Powerplants, Fuel Cells, hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

What happens when a major aircraft company buys an interesting seaplane and repowers it with hydrogen?  Dornier, a long-time German producer of often brilliant aircraft, acquired the rights to a two-seat amphibian, the Flywhale FW650, as of January 1, 2022.  Originally powered with a Rotax engine, the craft will be repowered with an electric motor and a variety of possible battery, hydrogen, or hybrid power sources. Redesignated the Dornier DS-C2, it becomes part of the Seawings division and could live not only in the world of unlimited runways, but become a true eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) airplane, the DS-2C-X. The standard Light Sport Aircraft configuration can carry two at 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), over a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) –  impressive enough. It can operate in sea states up to 2 (Sea state 2 includes waves of 0.6 to 0.9 feet and winds up to 8 to 10 knots, or 9.2 to 11.5 mph.) …