Page 26 - World Airnews September 2020 Edition

NEWS

ELECTRIC AVIATION PIONEERS

agniX has reported further
Mprogress with fl ight testi ng of
its proposed electric versions of the Cessna

Caravan and DHC-2 Beaver utility aircraft.
The company told an international

aviation news website that it is on track to
achieve FAA Part 33 certification for the

battery-powered propulsion systems by late

2021 or early 2022 and that supplemental
type certificates (STCs) could be in place for Check Preparation

both programmes in time for aircraft to en-

ter commercial service by the end of 2022.
At the same time, MagniX is continuing

to work with its sister company Eviation

Aircraft to provide the electric motors for

the new Alice fixed-wing aircraft. Following

a fire during ground testing and delays due Electric propulsion specialist MagniX has said it is close to
to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the first signing up a launch customer and STC partner for its eCaravan

prototype of the aircraft is now expected re-engining programme. Photo credit: MagniX

to make an initial flight in early 2021, said
MagniX CEO Roei Ganzarski. engine with the added benefit of improving MagniX is looking at the top 10 aircraft

US-based MagniX is now focusing its the aerodynamic profile of the nose section types, including multi-engine models that

efforts on providing electric propulsion for of the fuselage. currently fly what it calls middle-mile sectors

new and existing fixed-wing aircraft that The company said the resulting improve- as prospective platforms for re-engining.

could fly sectors of between 50 and 1,000 ment in lift-to-drag ratio will deliver a 20 Eviation and MagniX are both owned by

miles. For now, Ganzarski said, the com- percent improvement in speed and with the Singapore-based Clermont Group. The
pany is not seeking to provide propulsion
for new eVTOL aircraft because it doesn’t less power output. Gansarski said that former company has been silent about

see the strong commercial case for scaling this breakthrough may prompt MagniX to the timeline for its Alice programme after
suffering fire damage to the prototype

switch to a lower-power motor than the

down its Magni250 and -500 motors, which Magni500 that it is currently using. on January 22 at the company's Prescott

currently offer continuous power of 280 regional airport base in Arizona. Eviation

and 560 kW, respectively. Acknowledging the limitations of existing had planned to begin flight testing in late

Many eVTOL aircraft designs require lithium-ion batteries, Gansarski said they are, 2019 or early 2020, but Ganzarski said that

multiple electric motors, each with power nonetheless, sufficient for the relatively short the aircraft is still on track to complete type

missions for which the eCaravan and eBeaver
of around 40 or 50 kW. will be best suited. “The fact is that most peo- certification under Part 23 rules in 2023.

Earlier this year MagniX and its partner ple won’t want to fly more than around 30 or Asked about the potential for electric

AeroTec achieved a first flight with the 40 minutes in aircraft like this,” he said. aviation to expand its horizons, Ganzarski said,

eCaravan prototype, which is a modified around half of all air transport movements are

MagniX, however, does remain open to
version of the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan improving battery technology promised between around 50 and 500 miles. He said

powered by the Magni500. through advances with alternatives such as that the Covid-19 crisis is prompting resur-

Flight testing has continued at Grant lithium-sulphur-based options and is paying gence in demand for regional services to small-

County International Airport in Moses Lake, attention to what is happening with equip- er and more local airports, rather than larger

Washington, and Ganzarski said, that it has ment such as hydrogen fuel cells. aircraft flying in and out of busy hub airports.

since become the first electric aircraft of its “Even the batteries that are available “Flights of more than 1,000 miles are

type to fly at an altitude of 8,000 feet. today are already twice as powerful as the only around 30 percent of the total so that
This has allowed engineers to evaluate ones we bought in 2019, and that is mainly is not the biggest market,” he said. “Any-
how the electrical components perform in due to improvements made for electric way, we would need much more power
an unpressurised environment. cars,” he said. for that and the battery technology is not

Each flight test has lasted a minimum of MagniX is in discussions with several even close, so we would need something

30 minutes, with distances flown gradually Caravan operators in the US, Europe and like hydrogen fuel. I think that is 20 to 30 5% off all initial ratings and

being increased by unspecified amounts. Southeast Asia over which will commit to years away at a minimum.”

The development team has been exper- being the launch operator for the eCara- He said it would likely take customer 25% off all IF renewal tests
imenting with various rates of climb and van. The business model calls for a network pressure to convince aircraft manufactur-

descent and also with varying power levels. of operators to partner with the propulsion ers to switch to electrical power, suggest-
A similar approach is being taken with OEM to install its motors under a series of ing that this is essentially what it took to

flight testing of the Beaver in a programme STCs. Harbour Air is already its STC partner get winglets fitted on Boeing’s 737 family.

that got underway in December last year for the eBeaver. “I hope OEMs will not go the way of [film

with MagniX’s partner Harbour Air in Van- “We are true believers that it is [on manufacturer] Kodak in not wanting to see

couver, British Colombia. flights of] between 50 and 1,000 miles that the [digital] future; I hope they want to be

The Canadian regional airline is aiming to electric aviation will take hold at first,” said ahead of the curve,” he said. Q

electrify its entire fleet eventually. Ganzarski, who feels that it could take up to
With the so-called eBeaver, MagniX has 15 years for eVTOL urban air mobility appli- Article published by AIN - AOPA'S digital

replaced the aircraft’s original radial piston cations to prove commercially viable. Smartbrief news letter

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