Results for: pegasus universal aerospace

AirAsia and Air Greenland have both committed to purchasing or leasing a fleet of Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon, the world’s second largest aircraft lessor. In June 2021, Avolon ordered 500 VX4 eVTOL aircraft from Vertical, valued at US $2 billion. Since announcing that order, Avolon placed 250 VX4 aircraft with Gol and Grupo Comporte in Brazil, up to 100 aircraft with Japan Airlines in Japan, and a minimum of 100 aircraft with AirAsia. Avolon has now placed up to 90% of its initial orderbook, underlining the demand for VX4 aircraft from the world’s leading airlines.

AirAsia plans to lease a minimum of 100 of Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 from Avolon. The leasing arrangement through Avolon is the first pre-order of Vertical’s aircraft since the manufacturer listed on the NYSE in December 2021. More recently, Avolon and Air Greenland announced that they will partner to form a Working Group to assess the opportunity to commercialize zero-emissions air travel in the region. The Working Group will also collaborate to identify local infrastructure and certification requirements for eVTOL aircraft.

The VX4 is a piloted, four-passenger, zero operating emissions electric VTOL aircraft that is projected to fly at speeds of up to 200mph, over a 100-mile range. The VX4 is expected to be near silent in flight, and with a low cost per passenger mile, it will be an affordable option for travelers with a cost at a slight premium over ground-based taxi services.

Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon commented on March 22, 2022: “Since our initial order, we have seen airlines all over the world make a commitment to the zero emissions travel by selecting the VX4 aircraft as the first step in their decarbonisation journey. Today’s announcement with Air Greenland means we are taking zero-emissions travel to where climate change is having its most pronounced impact. We look forward to working with Air Greenland to bringing the zero-operating emission VX4 aircraft to where it matters the most.”

Why it’s important: AirAsia and Air Greenland join Japan’s JAL and Brazil’s Gol in agreeing to leases for the VX4 from Avolon. This further extends Vertical Aerospace’s global reach for its electric aircraft, into Southeast Asia and Europe, with pre-orders already directly agreed upon for up to 1,350 aircraft in total from American Airlines, Avolon, Virgin Atlantic, Iberojet, Bristow Group, and Marubeni.

Source // Vertical Aerospace press release

Bristol, England-based Vertical Aerospace has agreed to a joint development program with Italy-based Leonardo for the design, testing, manufacturing, and supply of the carbon composite fuselage for Vertical’s VX4 electric aircraft.

Vertical and Leonardo will work together on optimizing lightweight composite structures, modular design, systems installation, and structural testing for the co-development of the aircraft’s fuselage. This is currently in place for at least six certification aircraft, up to the successful certification of the VX4. The agreement has also stated the potential to scale fuselage production to 2,000 aircraft a year to meet Vertical’s existing market-leading order book demand. Vertical has what it believes is the largest conditional pre-order book (by value) in the eVTOL industry, of up to 1,350 aircraft worth $5.4 billion from American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow and Iberojet, including pre-order options from Virgin Atlantic and Marubeni, and through Avolon’s placements, airlines JAL and Gol.

Leonardo, the fuselage manufacturer for Boeing’s 787 jet, has long-established expertise in composite aerostructures development and manufacturing on civil and defense programs. The aerospace firm also has a close relationship with Vertical’s strategic composite materials supplier, Solvay. Vertical and Solvay are jointly developing advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that will enable high volume production of the VX4.

Michael Cervenka, president of Vertical said: “Vertical is pioneering electric aviation and is on a mission to transform the way people travel. I have been hugely impressed by Leonardo’s highly innovative and industry leading technical and manufacturing capabilities and our partnership has got off to a flying start. I’m thrilled that Leonardo will be joining us in this journey. We have a market-leading pre-order book for our VX4, and this partnership will ensure that we can scale the program to meet demand.”

Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s general manager, said: “Advanced air mobility is part of Leonardo’s mandate to innovate using our cutting edge, human-centered technology and industrialization expertise. We’re proud to collaborate with Vertical as part of our strategic vision in this brand new sector.”

Giancarlo Schisano, managing director of Leonardo’s Aerostructures Division said: “Leonardo, as partner to the world’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturers, is specialized in the production and assembly of major structural composite and metallic components for commercial aircraft. Leonardo strives to bring new technologies, materials and processes into our established practices in our production sites. This will be the case at our Grottaglie plant in Southern Italy, where we will focus our VX4 activities; the plant is one of the most advanced facilities in Europe to produce composite aerostructures.”

Why it’s important: Vertical’s partnership with Leonardo builds on its unparalleled ecosystem of partners, including Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, Solvay, GKN and Microsoft. Vertical continues to grow its team of experienced engineers and aviation executives and expects to begin the VX4’s test flight program later in 2022. The VX4 is designed to be a near-silent, entirely-electric, piloted aircraft with four-passenger capacity; if successful in building and certifying the aircraft to the design specifications, Vertical has the opportunity to pave the way for advanced air mobility and revolutionize the way we travel.

Source // Vertical Aerospace press release

Dufour Aerospace announced today that Savback Helicopters will promote and distribute Dufour’s innovative tilt-wing aircraft – Aero2 and Aero3 – in Scandinavia. Dufour expressed confidence that Savback “will bring significant knowledge of use-cases and market prospects, especially in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.”

Savback Helicopter’s tagline is “a breath of fresh air” and Dufour Aerospace “couldn’t agree more”. The Swedish helicopter sales and marketing company, Savback, has over 30 years of experience selling more than 900 helicopters in 75 different countries. They’re known to use their influence to advise clients on the environmental performance of different models of helicopters to enable more environmentally-friendly processes and practices – leading Dufour to partner.

“We strongly believe that Dufour Aerospace’s 8-seater Aero3 provides options for both today’s helicopter market, as well as new use cases which its cutting-edge technology opens up for us,” said Reja Savbäck, CEO of Savback Helicopters. Thomas Pfammatter, CEO and Co-Founder of Dufour Aerospace, added: “Savback Helicopters is a reliable, experienced partner, well-positioned to promote our Aero3 aircraft in Scandinavia. It makes us proud that such an experienced company strongly anchored in the helicopter market believes in the real potential of our vision, designs and team.”

Dufour shared that while the manned Aero3 is eminently suitable for addressing the needs of Advanced Air Mobility, the company is initially focused on applications that do not require additional new infrastructure, such as Air Ambulance and Search and Rescue.

Why it’s important: This distribution partnership will allow Dufour to be afforded of the increased network of Savback’s clients, and position Dufour as a leading eVTOL company for distribution in Scandanavian countries that Savback has ample experience with. Additionally, this partnership underscores throughput of helicopter to eVTOL aircraft experiences for both customers and operators, and would create a common thread, and natural progression, for helicopter operators to then step forward into the aerial mobility space.

Read the full release on Dufour’s website here.

Vertical Aerospace is slated to join Joby, Archer, and Lilium as the fourth eVTOL company to go public this year via SPAC merger. Subject to shareholder approval and the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions, Broadstone Acquisition Corp. expects to complete its previously announced business combination with Vertical Aerospace, raising at least $300 million in gross proceeds.

Ahead of the December 16 shareholder voting results announcement, Vertical also unveiled its new full-scale eVTOL aircraft, the VX4, in a tweet earlier this week.

Vertical’s VX4 aircraft is a four passenger, one pilot eVTOL projected to be capable of transporting a pilot and four passengers across distances of a range over 100 miles at top speeds of over 200 miles per hour, while producing minimal noise and zero operating emissions, with low cost per passenger mile.

Vertical is targeting the highest global certification for its VX4, which is expected to achieve the equivalent safety standard of a passenger jet by 2024 (based on the expected standards promulgated by the CAA and EASA).

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder and CEO of Vertical Aerospace said: “The closing of this listing will be a landmark moment for Vertical Aerospace. We have some of the industry’s leaders as our partners and a world-class team that can make zero emission aviation a reality. It will be fantastic to reach this milestone and I am so proud of what the team has achieved.”

Hugh Osmond, Chairman of Broadstone said: “Vertical Aerospace is revolutionizing air transport and pioneering cutting-edge technologies that will change the way that people travel – and support the path towards Net Zero. We are pleased to be in a position to close this business combination and excited for the future of Vertical Aerospace.”

Why it’s important: The upcoming business combination transaction will provide the required capital to certify Vertical’s VX4, develop a manufacturing facility, and build out the Company’s commercial platform while scaling production. The VX4 is expected to open up advanced air mobility to a whole new range of passengers and transform travel infrastructure across the globe.

Source // Vertical Aerospace press release

Heart Aerospace, the Swedish based electric aircraft manufacturer, has selected Garmin’s G3000 avionics package for its ES-19 regional airliner.

This marks the second installation of a G3000 on an electric aircraft following Joby earlier this year. Heart Aerospace gained public attention earlier this year when US-based United Airlines announced a conditional order for 100 of its electric aircraft with options to order an additional 100 units as well.

Image: A rendering of Heart Aerospace’s 19-seat regional electric aircraft that will soon be operated United Airlines.

The G3000 is a well-known avionics suite in business and general aviation. It features multiple flight displays, touchscreen controllers, and offers a familiar interface for pilots. Now, Garmin will optimize the G300 to add increased emphasis on power management and battery usage. This new version of the G300 can even be updated in the future for further developments in the electric aircraft/eVTOL space.

Typical arrangement of the Garmin G3000 flight deck displays.

“We’re confident in Heart’s practical, market-driven approach to expanding the regional air transport market with the introduction of the first all-electric airliner,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin VP of aviation and marketing, “whose lower operating costs have the potential to enable more universal access to air travel and a broader network of short-haul flights.”

Heart Aerospace plans to develop an all-electric 19-seat aircraft to target small regional markets at a significantly lower direct operating cost as compared to turboprop/jet aircraft. The ES-19 features an all aluminum airframe and has a high-wing, T-tail configuration with four electric motors. The first model will have a range of 250 miles and is targeting entry into service in 2026.

Why it matters: Garmin has many decades of success in the aviation industry, and so is well positioned to begin making electric aircraft avionics. Its products have revolutionized avionics offerings for general aviation by offering increased ease of use and innovation over more conventional products. The G3000 will seamlessly integrate with Heart Aerospace’s configuration, and will open the door for Garmin to become an industry expert in electric aircraft interfaces.

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• Blade Partners with magniX for Electrification of Lima Cessnas
• Harbour Air and MagniX are Partnering to Create an All-Electric Airline
• DHL Express to Order 12 Alice Electric Cargo Aircraft from Eviation
• VoltAero Signs with Airways Aviation as Launch Customer in France

Samad Aerospace and Aerosud Aviation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development and manufacturing stages of Samad’s Starling Cargo, a remotely operated eVTOL cargo aircraft.

Aerosud, a South African aerospace engineering company, specializes in commercial aerostructure part design and manufacturing for international Tier 1 suppliers. The Starling Cargo aircraft will be a cargo variant of the Starling Jet, which will eventually carry passengers according to Samad. The Starling Cargo will have both remote piloting and autonomous capabilities, and will have a payload capacity of 60 kg, cruising speed of 83 knots, flight ceiling of 10,000 feet and a range of up to 117 nautical miles. 

Photograph: Samad Aerospace

According to Dr. Seyed Mohseni, CEO of Samad Aerospace, “We look forward to working with Aerosud Aviation to bring our eVTOL Starling Cargo aircraft to market for delivery during the next couple of years. The Starling Cargo aircraft will make air cargo faster, greener and more sustainable.”

Rob Jonkers, director of programs at Aerosud Aviation, added: “We look forward to working with Samad Aerospace to bring to market this unique Starling Cargo eVTOL, which has particular advantages in the South African and African context given sparse infrastructure to move cargo at medium to long distance at speed. The flexibility of Starling Cargo operations will bring a new dimension to delivery turnaround times country and continent wide.”

A Starling Cargo prototype on the runway

Samad Aerospace has reported that interest in the cargo variant of their eVTOL aircraft has come from a number of corporations in industries such as oil and gas, gemstone mining, medical logistics, and emergency response. In addition, Samad plans to use the Starling Cargo to provide humanitarian aid, such as critical delivery of food, medicine, and equipment to regions of world with underdeveloped or damaged infrastructure. 

Starling Cargo prototype Top Down

Why it’s important: Samad Aerospace has become one of the more prevalent eVTOL companies in the world. Together with Aerosud Aviation, the two companies will be working toward major milestones in the development and manufacturing of full-scale prototype eVTOL jets. Expect to see more from Samad Aerospace and the Starling fleet in the near future.

Source // Samad Aerospace press release

Reveled in September, Airbus announced the next iteration of its eVTOL development, the CityAirbus NextGen. This fully electric vehicle is equipped with fixed wings, a V-shaped tail, and eight electrically powered propellers as part of its uniquely designed distributed propulsion system. It is designed to carry up to four passengers in zero-emissions flight for multiple applications.

As more information about NextGen comes out, this week Airbus announced it has selected Thales and Diehl Aerospace to design and develop the primary and secondary flight control computers for the eVTOL aircraft, respectively. The two flight control computers will be redundant and completely independent of one another to improve system-level safety of NextGen.

“I’m delighted to announce today the first system partnership for the development of our CityAirbus NextGen” Joerg P. Mueller, head of urban air mobility at Airbus said in the release. “UAM is a joint effort. Nobody can do it alone. Airbus is reaching out to potential partners from the industry to design and build an optimised vehicle for safe and efficient air transport in urban environments. With Thales and Diehl, we are proud to have two excellent partners with a lot of expertise on board.”

Thales and Airbus have a long standing relationship from the company’s commercial aerospace business. Thales has been responsible for developing Airbus’ now industry-leading fly-by-wire flight controls beginning with the A310 some 40 years ago. Diehl also has deep ties with Airbus and Thales and has extensive experience developing avionics systems on commercial airliners and helicopters.

“We are thrilled to see that our close cooperation with Airbus and Diehl is once again delivering concrete results through an agreement that will add a whole new dimension to air mobility,” Yannick Assouad, Thales Executive Vice President, Avionics, said, commenting on the new partnership. “With this safe and innovative flight control solution, we are working together to build an airspace environment we can all trust.”

Why it matters: Thales and Diehl’s partnership with CityAirbus brings decades of avionics prowess in fly-by-wire technology and systems architecture to the eVTOL space. With EASA working on special rules for the certification of aerial mobility crafts and Airbus’ relationship with the regulator, CityAirbus is likely to be a technological and commercial success. Expect more partnerships coming from CityAirbus NextGen to be announced as details of the development emerge.

Bristow Group is one of the world’s leading operators of helicopters provided for government and civil organizations worldwide, oil and gas customers needing offshore transportation, and search and rescue aircraft support. Its current fleet includes approximately 240 of the helicopter industry’s most modern aircraft, providing services in areas like Africa, the Americas, Australia, and several countries in Europe.

The Vertical Aerospace VA-X4 (Left) and EmbraerX’s Eve eVTOL (right) featured with Bristow’s signature branding.

Both Vertical Aerospace and EmbraerX have started to see more and more traction within the last year. After unveiling the VA-X4, Vertical Aerospace went public with a $2.2bn merger and formed partnerships with American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Avalan. Meanwhile, EmbraerX’s Eve division with Ascent Air Mobility for operations in the Asia-Pacific Region, and with popular urban air mobility provider BLADE Urban Air Mobility in the U.S, which currently provides urban transportation using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Now, both companies have added yet another massive pre-order set and key partner to their growing lists. Bristow Group represents a major segment of vertical air transportation the world over. Bristow has signed an MoU with Vertical Aerospace for up to 50 eVTOL aircraft, and will not only purchase these aircraft from Vertical once available, but also will also aid Vertical with regulatory certification, infrastructure, and environmental requirements for the VA-X4. With EmbraerX, Bristow placed an order for up to 100 eVTOL aircraft, and will assist Embraer with operations development, vertiport design, regulatory development, and even autonomous operations development. According to Bristol, it will use both Vertical and EmbraerX’s new aircraft to expand into new markets for the company, including a focus on commercial air taxi flight operations.

Example of Bristow’s current large helicopter fleet

Said Bristow President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Bradshaw, “Our MOU with Vertical allows us to build upon our leadership position in the vertical transportation market for the past 70+ years and now sets the stage for the disruptive advantages of the VA-X4 with its zero carbon emissions and low operating costs for passenger transport. Our expansion into these new and existing geographic markets with sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift and aerial transport services will offer passengers superior regional air mobility solutions” (September 21st, 2021).

He added, “The strategic MOU (with Eve) outlines the continued development of a comprehensive UAM model between Bristow and Eve for an eVTOL that could potentially reshape the market for all electric vertical lift with zero-emissions and lower operating costs. This allows us to expand our expertise to provide sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift into new potential end markets” (September 23rd, 2021)

Why it’s important: With this move, Bristow is signaling its intention to transition from traditional helicopters to all-electric eVTOLs. It has demonstrated this commitment by not only placing orders, but also by partnering with Vertical and Embraer for infrastructure and regulatory development. In addition, with this move, the company is announcing its plans to expand from its current operations into the commercial eVTOL air taxi market, thus marking itself as another key company in the playing field of eVTOL air taxi operators.

Source // Bristow Group

Related:

• Vertical Aerospace to go Public with a $2.2b Merger
• Ascent Partners with Embraer for 100 Eve eVTOLs
• EmbraerX’s Eve to Provide BLADE with up to 60 eVTOL Aircraft

Samad Aerospace continues to display progress of their E-Starling eVTOL aircraft, with its VTOL operations now having been announced to be fully functional. As of now, Samad’s development has been centered around their half-scale prototypes of the E-Starling, which has undergone various flight testing. While conventional flight was displayed back in March 2021, Samad Aerospace’s development has taken another step forward, showing footage of the E-Starling’s now fully functioning front and rear lift fans for VTOL flight. 

The flight tests included evaluations on aircraft flight dynamics, performance as well as handling qualities. As the e-Starling adopts a semi blended wing body (BWB) design, it requires a low angle for take-off; it is important to understand when the aircraft is capable of taking-off and at which speed.

Dr. Seyed Mohseni, CEO of Samad Aerospace, commented that “The Q-Starling will give owners the ultimate luxury in personal hybrid-electric flying. The efficient sustainable Q-Starling will give passengers unparalleled point-to-point mobility options.” The company categorized the Q-Starling as “a clever mix of fighter jet and VTOL allowing you to fly from a tennis court or super-yacht helipad to an event 500 miles away in under 2 hours.”

Production of the aircraft All materials used in the aircraft are made of ultra-light carbon fiber giving a higher performance capability and enabling semi-aerobatic maneuvers due to the increased strength of the composite material and design.

Samad Aerospace’s E-Starling

Why it’s important: Samad’s Starling project has potential to result in commercializing the world’s first e-VTOL hybrid aircraft. The company’s CEO, Dr Seyed Mohammad Mohseni, praised his team’s resilience attributing this latest success to their, “striking and unparalleled dedication during unprecedented times.” Samad’s Chief Production Officer explains, “We believe passionately in our proven technology, Covid-19 threw a few challenges our way, but this passion fuels our determination, securing this success.” 

Source // New Atlas

Dufour Aerospace has just published specification details on the Aero3, its flagship VTOL tilt-wing aircraft that aims to combine exceptional space, load and range for various transportation missions including most of today’s helicopter applications. This piloted, multi-purpose hybrid aircraft is a successor to the unmanned demonstrator aircraft test flown by Dufour Aerospace since 2020.

A demonstration of the Aero 3’s transition from horizontal to vertical flight. Credit // Dufour Aerospace

Aero3 will feature a decentralized electric main propulsion system of eight motors powering six propellers fixed to the main tilt-wing and two smaller tail propellers. Its large cabin and wide doors allow for a 6- or 8-seat configuration and offer enough space for patient or cargo transport. The design features an exceptional cruise speed of 350 km/h (189 knots) and a range of up to 1020 km (551 nautical miles), Aero3 will be the perfect tool for most VTOL applications.

According to Thomas Pfammatter, CEO and Co-founder of Dufour Aerospace: “The tilt-wing design of Aero3 combines the best of the worlds of helicopters and airplanes – the ability to take off and land like a helicopter and the efficiency and speed of an airplane in cruise flight. It is the perfect tool to serve future Advanced Air Mobility markets because it is efficient and safe. But even while these markets are in their infancy, our product will replace a significant number of today’s light and medium helicopters, as it meets the requirements of today’s operations at much lower costs, more sustainable and will be much quieter. It will seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure and airspace.”

“Our test flights with a large-scale demonstrator and the wind tunnel tests have clearly confirmed the exceptional performance and versatility of the tilt-wing design,” said Jasmine Kent, CTO and Co-founder of Dufour Aerospace. “The results met our high expectations. The tilt-wing is a proven aerodynamic concept with a long history of thousands of flight hours in several projects, such as the inspirational Canadair CL-84, so there are fewer risks than with other VTOL concepts. Now three years into our tilt-wing development programme, we are confident that this aircraft can be built successfully to meet certification requirements.”

Why it’s important: While Aero3 is the flagship of Dufour Aerospace’s tilt-wing product family, the Swiss company is simultaneously and ambitiously working on a smaller, unmanned aircraft named Aero2, using the same aerodynamic and technical principles. Aero2 is designed for logistics applications, inspection, monitoring, mapping, and public safety tasks; this implies that Dufour will have the capability to reach a wide array of markets and potential customers with its suite of products, thereby diversifying its revenue streams. Earlier this year, the company also announced that it received funding from session.vc and existing investors to accelerate growth; these investments have proven to be essential in the progression towards the commercial launch of its versatile (hybrid) eVTOL platform.

Source // Dufour Aerospace press release

Qarbon Aerospace has agreed with LIFT Aircraft to perform the system integration and assembly of LIFT’s HEXA eVTOL flying car at Qarbon’s Red Oak Facility. Additionally, Qarbon will secure supply chain sourcing as well for the HEXA, making the company the end-to-end manufacturer for LIFT’s flying car. 

According to Qarbon’s CEO Pete Wick, “This integration and assembly work expands upon the strong existing relationship between Qarbon Aerospace and the LIFT Aircraft team. We’re very proud that LIFT has placed their confidence in us to support them as the manufacturer of choice for their first-to-market eVTOL aircraft.”

Based in Red Oak, the company was formed just last month in May 2021 as a result of the acquisition of Qarbon Aerospace (formerly known as Triumph Group, Inc.) by equity firm Arlington Capital Partners. With three facilities — Red Oak, Milledgeville, GA and Rayong, Thailand — Qarbon now operates nearly 2 million square feet of factory space, where large, complex structural components are manufactured, such as fuselages, wings, flight control surfaces, and engine nacelles. 

LIFT CEO Matt Chasen pilots the HEXA over Camp Mabry, Texas as part of a visit for the USAF’s Agility Prime Initiative. Photograph: Sean Kornegay

Qarbon now is in charge of the manufacturing of the HEXA, a 18-propeller, 1-seater eVTOL aircraft. Designed for both recreational and military use, the HEXA provides services such as recreational trips over San Francisco Bay or air ambulance duties through the United States Air Force. The recreational flight services are available to anyone, and will cost $249 (currently $199 for early bird flight reservations) for a 15 minute flight with no pilot’s license required. Before flight, the customer will be required to undergo a 1 hour flight lesson, which covers safety training, flight controls instruction in a VR simulator, preflight checks, and a flight briefing from a “remote safety pilot.”  The HEXA also is currently part of the United States Air Force’s Agility Prime Initiative, and is in development for air ambulance and cargo retrieval services. 

Visit LIFT’s website here.

Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr., is shown seated in the HEXA aircraft. Photograph: Sean Kornegay

Why it’s important: With the manufacturer for the HEXA now selected, LIFT is one step closer to introducing a reinvention to how consumers and USAF approach transportation and logistics by providing easily accessible eVTOL flights nationwide. The first round of HEXAs are now slated for assembly at the Red Oak Facility, meaning that LIFT’s vision of making flying accessible to anyone could soon become a reality. 

Source // Dallas Innovates

Oxis Energy, the battery supplier for Bye Aerospace’s eFlyer 800, has filed for bankruptcy as of May 19th according the the company’s website. The company held over 40 patents for battery technology pertaining to UAM platforms which promised to fuel the industry and future platforms like the eFlyer, most notably Li-S cell construction architectures.

Li-S cell chemistry offers higher energy density over traditional battery cell designs.

Authorized insolvency practitioners Simon Girling and Christopher Marsden of BDO LLP will oversee the transition for Oxis.

“The company was unable to secure the investment required to continue its product development,” Girling stated in the release. “However, we are hopeful of obtaining a sale of the company’s specialist testing equipment, together with approximately 200 patents held by the company, and the opportunity remains for an acquirer to purchase these assets in situ at an internationally acclaimed testing center, and separate R&D facility.”

At the time of the announcement, Oxis was closing in on Bye’s 550 Wh/kg energy density requirements for the eFlyer. In company reports last year, its Li-S cell prototypes had achieved 471 Wh/kg and would be able to begin shipping prototypes as early as Q3 2021.

The company had hoped to pursue even higher densities, targeting 550 Wh/kg by 2023 and 600 Wh/kg by 2026.

Why it matters: Oxis is one of the few suppliers as reported by TransportUP to have filed for bankruptcy thus far in 2021. While to be expected as the industry matures and investors select winners, the announcement offers some exciting news in that energy densities required to sustain eVTOL/hybrid-electric fixed wing platforms can be met. With over 200 patents, 40 of which directly related to Li-S architecture slated for the eFlyer, expect to see some sort of M&A activity around Oxis Energy as they look to apply their technical prowess under new ownership.

Bye Aerospace has announced an eight-seat all-electric twin turbo-prop class airplane, the eFlyer 800, in response to growing demands for regional all-electric airplanes with significantly reduced operating costs, plus increased capacity and utility.

Bye Aerospace eFlyer 800

Performance estimates for the eFlyer 800 include up to 320 knot cruise speed, 35,000 feet ceiling and 500 nm range with 45-minute IFR reserves at normal cruise speed of 280 knots. Safety features include two wing-mounted electric motors, each with dual redundant motor windings, quad-redundant battery packs and a full airplane parachute. Additional potential features include emergency auto-landing system, intelligent algorithm ensuring envelope protection, terrain avoidance and routing for emergency auto-land, and also an option for supplemental power solar cells and in-wheel electric taxi. The airplane’s 8-seat configuration consists of up to seven passengers and one or two pilots. The eFlyer 800 will have only one-fifth the operating costs of traditional twin turboprops and is geared for the air-taxi, air-cargo, regional and charter aircraft markets.

“The eFlyer 800 is the first all-electric propulsion technology airplane that achieves twin-turboprop performance and safety with no CO₂ and extremely low operating costs,” said George E. Bye, Bye Aerospace CEO. “This type of remarkable economy and performance is made possible by the electric propulsion system and advanced battery cell technology that results in significantly higher energy densities.”

Bye Aerospace and Safran are currently assessing the most efficient electric powertrain for the eFlyer 800 (dual ENGINeUS™ electric motors and GENeUSGRID™ electric distribution and network protection system). “Safran product lines with the ENGINeUS™ motors, rated from 50kW to 500kW/1MW and GENeUSGRID™ systems, perfectly fit with the Bye Aerospace portfolio of e-aircraft,” said Hervé Blanc, Executive Vice President and General Manager Power with Safran Electrical & Power. “Building upon our successful cooperation on eFlyer2 and eFlyer4, we are very proud to bring our best expertise to support Bye Aerospace in the design of the new eFlyer 800.”

Bye said eFlyer 800 customer deposit agreements are complete, and several are being developed with U.S. and European air-taxi, air-cargo and air charter services. “Details about those agreements will be announced soon, and as they are finalized,” he said.

Bye Aerospace is in the process of obtaining FAA Part-23 certification for the eFlyer 2 for the professional flight training mission and the four-seat eFlyer 4 for air taxi, cargo and advanced training uses. All the company’s current and future families of aircraft feature engineering, research and electric aircraft solutions designed to specifically address compelling market needs.  Benefits include five-fold lower operating costs, no CO₂ emissions, and decreased noise. Bye Aerospace estimates the eFlyer will eventually eliminate the release of millions of metric tons of CO₂ each year as its deliveries begin and the general aviation fleet is replaced.

Why it matters: Bye Aerospace is extending its product offerings square into the twin-turboprop segment long dominated by the King Air family by Beechcraft. With superior operating costs and customer deposits from a variety of aviation stakeholders, the eFlyer 800 could be the product to finally disrupt the traditional fixed wing aviation space. Expect to see test flights in the near future when Bye Aerospace’s lofty claims about its design will be put to the test.

Source: Bye Aerospace Press Release