Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Airbus Helicopters BK117, EC145, and H145 series

Kerry Lynch

Collins Aerospace is a prominent aerospace and defense company specializing in the development and manufacture of advanced technology solutions. They offer a wide range of products and services, including avionics, aircraft interiors, mission systems, and space systems. 

Airbus Helicopters selected Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada and Collins Aerospace to collaborate on a hybrid-electric propulsion system for its PioneerLab technology demonstrator.&nbsp;The OEM is developing PioneerLab based on an H145 medium-twin helicopter to demonstrate the potential fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions savings that hybrid-electric propulsion could bring.
Under the program, the partners are replacing the H145’s existing engines with a hybrid propulsion system comprising a Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PW210 engine and two Collins 250-kW electric motors and controllers that are linked through a common gearbox.
According to the companies, this configuration will optimize engine performance with the electric motors providing high torque capability during flight stages such as takeoff and landing. The partners anticipate that the changes could improve fuel efficiency by as much as 30%.&nbsp;Test flights are slated to begin in 2027 at Airbus Helicopters' Donauwörth, Germany facility.
"The combined 250-kW motor and controller we're designing for PioneerLab are part of our family of electric motors and controllers that can be scaled up or down to meet the future electrification needs of aircraft across multiple segments," said Henry Brooks, president of power and controls at Collins Aerospace. "By serving as part of hybrid-electric propulsion architectures or helping to electrify onboard systems, these motors and controllers will support the aviation industry's commitment to reduce carbon emissions from future platforms."
Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada, added that the companies will draw on the expertise from their growing list of hybrid-electric demonstrator programs, including the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator, STEP-Tech, and SWITCH.
Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Actions is supporting PioneerLab through its aerospace research program LuFo.

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Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

In this article

BK117/EC145/H145

Pratt & Whitney

Collins Aerospace

Airbus Helicopters

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