{"id":13796,"date":"2020-10-21T21:44:35","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T04:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=13796"},"modified":"2020-10-21T21:44:35","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T04:44:35","slug":"ampaires-second-electric-eel-sets-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/ampaires-second-electric-eel-sets-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Ampaire’s Second Electric Eel Sets Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are now two Ampaire electric EELs* flying, courtesy of Ampaire Aviation<\/a>.\u00a0 The second test vehicle recently set a world record, staying in the air for two hours and 32 minutes, covering 341 miles at an average speed of \u201caround 135 mph.\u201d
\nA six-seat Cessna 337 \u201cSkymaster,\u201d the \u201cpush-pull\u201d twin has been modified by Ampaire \u201cwith an electric motor in the nose and traditional [internal] combustion engine in the rear.\u00a0 The paired powerplants act as a parallel hybrid, both electric and ICE units providing thrust simultaneously.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0Vm7gZNkvH0<\/p>\n

Ampaire flew an electric-and-gas-powered Cessna 337 this year. With assistance from Ikhana<\/a>, a modification and conversion specialist,\u00a0 Ampaire replaced the 337’s rear engine (which drives a pusher prop) with an electric propulsion system, leaving the forward engine in place.<\/p>\n

It is now swapping the configuration around \u2013 putting the engine in the back and moving the electric system forward, with batteries removed from the cabin and installed in a pod under the aircraft.<\/p>\n

Ampaire’s partner on the 337, Hawaii-based Mokulele Airlines<\/a>, will fly the aircraft in this new configuration in the first quarter of next year, according to Brice Nzeukou, Ampaire Product Manager.<\/p>\n

A Quite Normal Cross-Country Flight<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ampaire reported, \u201cThe craft took off from Camarillo Airport just north of Los Angeles at 12:20 PM. Test pilot Justin Gillen and Flight Test Engineer Russell Newman, flew up California\u2019s Central Valley at 8,500 feet, landing at Hayward Executive Airport at 02:52 PM.\u201d Gillen explained, \u201cThe mission was a quite normal cross-country flight that we could imagine electrified aircraft making every day just a few years from now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The record flight followed four weeks, 23 flights, and 30 hours (\u201cwith 100-percent dispatch reliability) since the Hawai\u2018i Bird first took to the air. \u00a0Ampaire\u2019s general manager Doug Shane said, \u201cOur success in taking this aircraft in a short period from the test environment to the normal, everyday operating environment is a testament to our development and test organization, and to the systems maturity we have achieved with our second aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Flying over California’s Central Valley, Ampaire’s second electric EEL sets record distance for hybid electric flight<\/p><\/div>\n

The Hawai\u02bbi Bird, so named because it will take part later this year in a series of demonstration flights with Hawai\u02bbi-based Mokulele Airlines on its short-haul routes, will be partially disassembled in Hayward for shipment to Hawai\u02bbi. The Hawai\u02bbi flight trials are funded in part by Elemental Excelerator, a cleantech incubator headquartered in Honolulu.<\/p>\n

Ampaire\u2019s\u00a0 electric EEL will serve as \u201ca testbed aircraft for the development of high-powered electronics, inverters, motors, and related systems.\u201d \u00a0A platform for developing scalable technology and certification processes, the EEL can also serve owner-flown, charter and short-haul regional airline\/cargo carriers.\u00a0 The EEL will have operational costs cut with fuel savings of 50 to 70 percent and maintenance costs only 25 to 50 percent of the conventionally-powered original. \u00a0The hybrid electric system will provide safe transport between islands, able to hop 200 miles with reserves while carrying three passengers or 450 pounds of cargo.<\/p>\n

According to Ampaire, \u201cThese flight demonstrations will mark the first time an electrically powered aircraft has flown under an FAA \u2018Market Survey\u2019 experimental aircraft certificate in order to gain real-world flight experience.\u201d\u00a0 Beyond Mokulele’s interest, PAX (Personal Airline Exchange)<\/a> ordered 50 EELs last year.<\/p>\n

*According to Wikipedia, \u201cEEL refers to the original 337 designation, with the\u00a0characters\u00a0reversed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Four-Motor Electric Otter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ampaire\u2019s CEO Kevin Noertker said, \u201cThe Electric EEL is our first step in pioneering new electric aircraft designs. Our next step will likely be a 19-seat hybrid electric retrofit program that will lower emissions and operating costs, benefiting regional carriers, their passengers and their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n