CAMARILLO, Calif., - Ampaire flew its second technology demonstrator on Thursday, September 10th. The aircraft is a refined version of its Cessna 337 “Electric EEL” hybrid-electric aircraft conversion.
The company refers to the new flight test aircraft as the Hawai‘i Bird, as it will be flown by Ampaire and Mokulele Airlines pilots on air routes in Hawai‘i later this year in a series of demonstration flights. When the aircraft flies on Maui, it will be the first time an electrically powered aircraft has flown under an FAA “market survey” experimental aircraft certificate in order to gain real-world flight experience.
The Hawai‘i Bird is powered by a conventional combustion engine (a 310-horsepower/231 kW Continental IO-550) in the tail, and a 200kW-capable electric motor in the nose, limited in this application to 120 kW. In this second conversion, the aircraft’s battery pack has been relocated from inside the cabin to the underside of the fuselage and enclosed in a composite aero-optimized shell. The new configuration frees cabin space for flight test engineers, test equipment, and observers. An aircraft such as Ampaire’s Electric EEL can cut direct operating costs and emissions by 40 - 50 percent versus conventional aircraft, playing an essential part in helping Hawai’i reach its goal of 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2045.
In this latest conversion, the Electric Power Unit (EPU) used by the aircraft is designed for improved energy efficiency with less weight. The EPU has better thermal margins thanks to a liquid cooling system versus the previous air-cooling system. The aircraft also has improved cockpit instrumentation and power controls for monitoring outputs from the combustion engine and electric motor. Designed to cruise at 120 knots for 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus a 30- minute reserve, The Hawaii Bird can fly most Mokulele routes round trip before a required recharge.
During its 35 minute first flight, test pilot Justin Gillen climbed to 3,000 feet and made a series of handling and power checks, assessing engine and motor performance, temperatures and other readings, with both powerplants performing as expected. The aircraft will fly for a series of checkouts before being shipped to Hawai‘i in October.
Ampaire is working in partnership with Elemental Excelerator, one of the world’s leading climate tech accelerators with more than 99 startups within its portfolio, to fund the Mokulele flight trials. With headquarters in Hawai‘i, Elemental understands the unique challenges and opportunities around transportation, and the team is leveraging its deep relationships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to help startups such as Ampaire deploy at the community level.
