Electric Aircraft

Kahului, Hawaii based Mokulele Airlines has joined with California-based Ampaire to begin testing the second prototype Cessna 337 “Electric EEL” hybrid-electric aircraft conversion. Ampaire successfully flew the second demonstrator on September 10. The new prototype builds on previous aircraft that the company has test flown in other markets. Ampaire calls the new flight test aircraft […]

Hondo, Texas-based Texas Aircraft Manufacturing and British lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology company OXIS Energy, said they are jointly developing a high-wing, two-seat, all metal, fully-electric aircraft dubbed the eColt based on Texas Aircraft’s Colt S-LSA. In a news release, Texas Aircraft said, “The eColt will fill a growing demand for ecologically-friendly flight training airplanes, as […]

In a move that the companies believe will help provide solutions to regional air mobility, VoltAero, developers of the Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft, has joined forces with KinectAir, a software company that is creating “a flexible on-demand flight network utilizing an artificial intelligence-enabled smartphone application,” according to a press release on July 15. VoltAero, based in Médis, France, has been working on […]

Bye Aerospace says it completed a $5 million strategic investment by a venture capital group earlier this year. That investment was followed by the completion of a $5 million venture raise. Bye Aerospace is the developer of the all-electric eFlyer family of FAA Part 23-certified aircraft. George E. Bye, CEO, of Bye Aerospace, said in a […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to begin developing aviation industry standards to address issues such as hybrid electric propulsion, VTOL, cybersecurity and speed up the implementation of these new technologies. According to a news release, EUROCAE “develops standards for […]

ZeroAvia—the start-up company pursuing the goal of regionally optimized hydrogen-cell-powered airplanes—saw the first flight in the UK on June 22 of the Piper M-class airplane it had moved to Europe late in 2019. The move from Hollister, California, to Cranfield, England, followed the awarding of a grant from the UK government to pursue sustainable, zero-emission […]

JetBlue announced in January that it intended to become a carbon-neutral airline. To reduce its net carbon footprint, it would begin purchasing carbon offsets—credits generated by sponsoring activities and investments designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Its flights originating in San Francisco would use a low-emissions substitute for jet-A refined from a mess of pottage that […]

As I taxi out, a crisp shadow follows on the taxiway beside me. I give a little burst of power, then pull the throttle lever back to idle. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the shadow of the prop stop. “Uh-oh,” I think. “The engine quit.” But no. The airplane is a […]