Showing posts with label BN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BN. Show all posts

03 January, 2020

Island-hopping on batteries.........the story of Project Fresson

In the still-emerging world of aviation electrification, learning is good, whether that be pure research, learning by doing, or involvements in projects that rapidly go into service.



For Rolls-Royce, Project Fresson combines all three elements and adds to its already established position as an electrification pioneer.



The programme, run by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, involves the design, manufacture and integrate a hybrid-electric propulsion system into a 9-seat Britten-Norman (B-N) Islander aircraft, which is typically used on short flights such as island-hopping routes in Scotland, with the Orkney Islands one particular example.



The ultimate goal is to deliver the first commercial passenger-carrying all-electric aircraft service in the UK, marking a significant breakthrough for all-electric propulsion. Conventional engines will still be available for the aircraft’s longer-range flights.




Project Fresson is expected to take two and a half years, with a fully developed prototype taking to the skies by mid-2022, making it the first fully electric passenger-carrying plane in the UK and one of only a small number being developed across the world.

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