ZeroAvia Completes First Round of Flight Tests with Hydrogen-Electric Aircraft

Developer of sustainable propulsion systems is looking forward to longer cross-country flights.

Friday, July 21, 2023 at 05:34 PM ET

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Hydrogen propulsion developer ZeroAvia said its recent flight-test campaign included altitude, speed, and endurance. [Courtesy: ZeroAvia]

Key Takeaways:

ZeroAvia completed the initial series of 10 test flights for its prototype ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine on a retrofitted Dornier 228 aircraft.
Conducted at Cotswold Airport in the U.K., these tests evaluated performance metrics such as altitude, speed, and endurance, while also aiming for range projections.
The hydrogen-electric engine performed at or above expectations, matching the power of a conventional engine and enabling flight solely on the experimental system during specific tests.

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ZeroAvia, a developer of zero-emission propulsion systems for aircraft, said it completed the initial series of 10 test flights of a Dornier 228 twin retrofitted with the company’s prototype ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine.

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The series of tests, conducted at Cotswold Airport (EGBP) in the U.K., included cruise testing aimed at developing projections of the potential ranges the aircraft could cover using the experimental propulsion system. The recently completed flights also set the stage for longer cross-country flights that will be part of the next stage of testing, ZeroAvia said.