The case for all-electric and electric-hybrid propulsion for a new generation of airplanes is economically viable, but battery capacity and supporting technology remain major obstacles toward that future. So said the leaders of two pioneering platforms yesterday at the EBACE Newsmakers Breakfast.
Jean Botti, the CEO and CTO of Italy-based VoltAero, and Gregory Davis, president and interim CEO of Eviation Aircraft, joined a panel of journalists eager to separate the hopes and hype of airplane electric propulsion from reality. VoltAero is developing the Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft, while Seattle-based Eviation is working on the all-electric Alice,
VoltAero chose an emission-free hybrid-electric model—batteries supplemented by a thermal engine—to increase its range and provide a backup in case of a battery power problem, Botti said. “We came to the conclusion that the best compromise today, with the state of batteries, was hybrid.”
Addressing certification issues, Davis said, “Eighty percent of Alice is a normal airplane,” minimizing certification roadblocks. Botti noted the first model, the four-seat Cassio 330, “is coming up for certification at the end of the year.”
Answering questions about the demand for and public acceptance of such platforms, Davis pointed to U.S. commuter airline Cape Air’s order for 75 nine-passenger Alices. Botti said VoltAero has 17 preorders for the Cassio 330 from buyers and had recently introduced a fractional ownership program for the aircraft.
Daher expects the first flight of its hybrid-electric EcoPulse technology demonstrator to take place by the end of the year, the French company said this week at EBACE. Developed in partnership with Safran and Airbus and supported by France’s CORAC civil aviation research council, the test aircraft is based on the TBM 900-series airframe and features six wing-mounted 50-kW electric motors in addition to its standard Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine. Its purpose is to develop the key architectural principles for future hybrid airplanes.
At EBACE, Daher CEO Didier Kayat described the testbed, which has been under development over the past three years, as part of the company’s product roadmap of the future. He noted that it has already been powered up at the airframer’s Tarbes, France factory with a successful thermal runaway test. “We want to see how to manage high voltage within an aircraft,” he said.
Daher is responsible for the flight and airworthiness testing as well as the overall analysis of the test results, while Safran supplied the electric motors and oversees the integration of the distributed hybrid propulsion system. Airbus is developing the high-energy-density 350-kg (772-pound) 350-kW main battery system, as well as the aerodynamic and acoustic integration of the distributed propulsion system.
EBACE 2022 marked the official rollout of EBAA’s new Standards and Training for Aviation Responsibility and Sustainability (STARS) program.
In development for more than four years, STARS is intended to help support, train, and certify business aviation companies across Europe on sustainable business practices.
EBAA communications manager Róman Kok noted the program is one of the first outgrowths from the association's increased focus on spurring ideas from young professionals across business aviation, and specifically its participation in the One Young World (OYW) global forum of young leaders since 2018.
"One Young World does a lot of work with the United Nations, focused on public/private partnerships and how companies and corporate social responsibility play into the sustainability debate,” he explained. “STARS incorporates tiers for environmental measures that could be taken at the company level, but also social issues such as diversity, inclusion, and work-life balance. It is sustainability from a holistic point of view."
STARS is modeled after the Airport Council International's World Sustainability Strategy for Airports Worldwide accreditation program and uses specific criteria in line with the International Business Aviation Council's (IBAC) standards and practices for business aviation flight operations.
Initial participants were outlining their schedules for the program at EBACE 2022, and EBAA estimated that about 10 organizations could achieve full Tier 3 STARS recognition by 2025.
Making its EBACE debut is the Tecnam P2012 Traveller, a utility twin aimed at the short-haul and special-mission markets. The aircraft is a larger and higher-performing follow-on to the P2006. Development began in 2012, hence its designation, and it first flew in 2016. The type is now in production at Tecnam’s Capua factory near Naples, Italy.
Tecnam has gained a healthy order book for the P2012, led by a series of orders from commuter airline Cape Air in the U.S., which is targeting a fleet of 120 aircraft. The factory is producing P2012s at the rate of two per month but intends to increase to three to keep pace with demand. Cape Air has received 30 from the 50-plus aircraft built to date, with others delivered in Europe. One was handed over to a Swiss customer last week, outfitted for special missions.
Early next year Tecnam is taking the P2012 to the Avalon show in Australia, where the company foresees a healthy market. Tecnam has an Australian subsidiary, as well as one in the U.S., and a large global distributor network.
The P2012 is designed as a low-cost utility aircraft that can seat 11 in an airliner-style configuration. Combi freighter and special-mission variants are also offered.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has unveiled the latest member of its perennial PT6 turboshaft family. Known as the PT6E-66XT, the engine’s first application is the Daher TBM 960 single-engine turboprop. Indeed, the 66XT was developed specifically with the TBM 960 in mind on the back of more than 30 years of PT6 integration. Both engine and aircraft debuted during the Sun n’ Fun Aerospace Expo held at Lakeland in Florida in April.
The PT6E-66XT is a very different powerplant from the original PT6A that first ran in 1960. The latest major innovation is the integration of advanced digital control, resulting in the PT6E series. This is the first engine family in the general aviation sector to offer a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system (EPECS).
Drawing on more than 100 digital data inputs, the EPECS delivers optimized performance, fuel efficiency, and precision, while greatly simplifying pilot control. The system monitors and refines engine performance throughout the whole flight, as well as aircraft data, making continuous alterations to fuel flow and propeller pitch to extract maximum efficiency and optimal power.
All of the gathered data is available for post-flight downloading by wireless connection to a variety of devices for analysis. Improved design has allowed P&WC to extend the engine’s scheduled maintenance intervals from 3,500 to 5,000 hours compared with earlier, similarly-rated models.
Business aviation sustainability leaders shared knowledge and insights at a meeting convened by AIN Media Group yesterday. Attendees at the “Building a Sustainable Aviation Business” event heard from a leading aircraft manufacturer, a fuel supplier, and a company set up to help organizations and individuals take effective actions through measures such as carbon offset.
Scott Evans, Gulfstream’s director of demonstration, airborne customer service, and corporate flight operations, detailed how the OEM practices what it preaches when it comes to using sustainable aviation fuel. He explained how companies can take their first steps towards achieving first carbon neutrality and ultimately full net-zero emissions.
Signature Aviation’s director of fuel operations Brian Batty provided a clear introduction to SAF, reiterating that, chemically, it is the same as jet-A, only produced with sustainable feedstocks rather than fossil fuels. His company is expanding the availability of SAF at locations in the U.S. and overseas, as well as giving operators access to book-and-claim options where SAF is not available.
Kennedy Ricci set up 4Air to help aircraft operators, manufacturers, and end-users take practical measures available today to cut carbon from flying. For now, much of this is focused on carbon offsets and he explained to the meeting how this can be achieved in a verifiable and meaningful way.
The digital flip-through issues of AIN’s award-winning EBACE Convention News are now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from EBACE 2022, whether you’re in Geneva attending the show or watching from afar.
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