Another step forward in electrically powered passenger aircraft took place recently as ZeroAvia took its Dornier for a little spin! Ground testing is a go at Cotswold Airport when the firm conducted the first spin of the propeller on the Dornier 228 using electric power.
The test was designed as a functional check of the fully integrated and flight-ready Electric Propulsion System aboard the testbed aircraft. Several tests were performed, and allow the team to move to the next stage of tests with a fully functional on-board Power Generation System utilizing hydrogen fuel cell. This fully-integrated aircraft test campaign follows a comprehensive HyperTruck ground test program performed at ZeroAvia's U.S. location.
See our earlier reports on the development of ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric aviation programme. The firm has two 19-Seat Dornier 228 aircraft, one in the UK and one in the U.S. The aircraft have been provided by Aurigny in the UK and AMC Aviation in the U.S. and will allow ZeroAvia to enter the next phase in its quest towards clean hydrogen-electric aviation. Both aircraft were previously in service for regional flights in the US and UK, demonstrating the opportunity for carbon reduction on existing routes.
