2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

Daytona Beach International Airport has been confirmed as the site for a new manufacturing facility

Aura Aero Will Build Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner in Florida

Hanneke Weitering

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

Regional cargo airline signs agreement for up to 75 hybrid-electric airplanes

Alpine Air Express Plans to Electrify Fleet with Aura Aero's ERA

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

The aeronautical university's research park will eventually be used for manufacturing the Integral aircraft

Electric Aircraft Developer Aura Aero Opens Florida Base

Jessica Reed

Norges Luftsportforbund will use the electric airplane to tow gliders

Aura Aero Secures First Integral E Customer in Norway

Charter provider Elit’Avia has added eight additional orders for Aura Aero's hybrid-electric regional airliner to its existing order for 20, boosting Aura's&nbsp;order book to more than 330 aircraft secured by letters of intent. The company is developing a series of two-seat training aircraft as well as the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-15/aura-aero-unveils-redesigned-hybrid-electric-regional-airliner-building">19-seat ERA airliner</a> at its&nbsp;Toulouse Francazal Airport headquarters.
The growing&nbsp;level of interest helps the French company stand out from the more than 300 developers of future-generation aircraft, according to&nbsp;Aura Aero CEO and chief engineer&nbsp;Jérémy Caussade.&nbsp;“You have a clear distinction between projects and companies,” he told&nbsp;AIN. “We already have more than 6,000 square meters of municipal facilities, production agreements, and certified environments. For me, [many projects are] a bubble and will remain so.”
“This is in line with our business model and development in reducing our gas emissions and carbon footprint,” said&nbsp;Elit’Avia CEO Michel Coulomb. “This is the direction we have decided to take and that's why we decided to go with another eight aircraft and 28 in total.” He&nbsp;added that the LOIs would turn into firm orders in the next two to three months.
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 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">French president Emmanuel Macron (right) visits Jérémy Caussade, CEO of Aura Aero (fourth from right) at the Paris Airshow on Monday. (Photo: Aura Aero)</div>
 
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<figcaption>French president Emmanuel Macron (right) visits Jérémy Caussade, CEO of Aura Aero (fourth from right) at the Paris Airshow on Monday. (Photo: Aura Aero)</figcaption>
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Caussade said there are three main markets for the ERA. “The first one is the classical commuter model with 19 seats, the island hopper, or for point-to-point mobility,” he told&nbsp;AIN. “A second is the cargo version&nbsp;because of the 20-meter cubed cabin size, which is of interest in North America mainly. And then there is executive and business, which is what we're talking about today.
“It is for us to showcase the capabilities—we offer something that is new. It’s a positive way of saying that there is a match between decarbonization and doing business—because it makes sense. We have to work together to make it happen. This is the next step we are taking right now, and I'm very happy about that.”

Contributor - Middle East

Peter Shaw-Smith

Aura Aero Scores New Orders for Hybrid-electric Airliner

Aura Aero has unveiled a revised configuration for its 19-passenger ERA hybrid-electric regional airliner, for which it says the design is now frozen. At a press conference on May 12, the French start-up also said it has completed ground testing of the prototype for its Integral E electric training aircraft and expects to be ready to start flight testing before the end of this year.
The two-seat Integral E model, powered by Safran’s EngineUs&nbsp;electric motor, is expected to have a flight endurance of 60 minutes, with batteries that can be fully recharged in less than 30 minutes. It is expected to be certified under European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-23 rules and ready to enter service, mainly with flight schools and aero clubs, in 2024.
The all-electric model is a sibling to the piston-powered Integral R and S models. Both feature Lycoming engines delivering a range of up to around 500 nautical miles, with the S model being designed more specifically for aerobatic flying. Aura Aero believes it will achieve type certification for the R model in the next few weeks, followed before year-end by the S model, which has just received the permit to fly it needs for flight testing.&nbsp;The company says it now holds over 100 letters of interest for three Integral models.
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<div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-caption">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Aura Aero is preparing to start flight testing its Integral E all-electric flight training aircraft. (Image: Aura Aero)</div>
 
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<figcaption>Aura Aero is preparing to start flight testing its Integral E all-electric flight training aircraft. (Image: Aura Aero)</figcaption>
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Aura&nbsp;Aero’s work on electric propulsion for the Integral family has paved the way for the ERA program, with the start-up’s CEO and chief engineer Jérémy Caussade telling reporters that this approach had allowed it to reduce the technology risks around electric propulsion. The company decided early on that a hybrid architecture combining a turbogenerator with electric motors would be required to deliver commercially viable payload and range to operators.
<h3 class="subheading">More Motors and a&nbsp;New Tail Improve Aerodynamics</h3>
The main change in the final design is the use of eight electric motors powered by a combination of two turbogenerators and four battery packs through an 800-volt network. The turbogenerators will be installed in the lower rear fuselage, while the battery packs will be farther forward.
An earlier design had featured just six of the wing-mounted electric motors. According to Aura Aero chief technology officer Mattia Padulo, the company’s engineers concluded that eight smaller engines could be more effectively integrated with the overall aerodynamics of the airframe and will also be easier to cool, resulting in lower maintenance costs.
Aura Aero has worked with automotive group Stellantis to refine the ERA’s airframe design, which now features a T-shaped tail and winglets for improved aerodynamics and handling. The redesign process has pushed back the timeline for the program by a couple of years with the first flight now expected to happen in 2026, with type certification to follow in 2028.
“There has been a delay, but we now have a clearer idea of what we have to do, and we also want to go carefully with the ramp-up [of the program],” Caussade said. The redesign, which now includes a 1.88 meter (74&nbsp;inches) standup cabin, is also based on input from <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-10-05/aura-aero-gathers-more-commitments-electric-regional-aircraft">prospective customers </a>that include a mix of passenger and freight airlines, special missions, as well as business aviation operators.
The ERA, which stands for Electric Regional Airliner, is expected to have a range of up to 900 nm&nbsp;with a cruise speed of up to 300 knots at a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. The all-electric range would be no more than 90 nm,&nbsp;and Aura Aero expects most airline sectors to be between around 200 and 350 nm. The aircraft will be able to operate from runways as short as 800 meters (2,600&nbsp;feet), allowing operators to launch new regional services that connect smaller communities.
According to Gwenola Robert, Aura Aero’s chief commercial officer, the ERA will cut energy and maintenance costs in half compared with current 19-seat airliners, with carbon dioxide emissions reduced by up to 80 percent. Operators will be able to fully recharge the batteries in no more than 30 minutes and the turbogenerators are expected to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.
Robert told reporters that over the next two decades, some 2,000 aircraft in the 19-seat market segment need to be replaced at a time when airlines are under growing pressure to meet net-zero carbon objectives and with short-haul flying dependent on fossil fuels increasingly viewed as unacceptable. “There has been no clean sheet commuter aircraft in decades,” she said.
Prospective customers who have expressed an interest in the ERA, pending the official opening of the order book, include the following operators: Republic Airways (and its subsidiary Cape Air), leasing groups <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-19/amedeo-commits-adding-200-electric-regional-aircraft-its-lease-portfolio">Amadeo</a> and Green AeroLease, Commuter Air, Alpine Express, Elit'Avia, Dux Forwarding, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-10-05/aura-aero-gathers-more-commitments-electric-regional-aircraft">Afrijet, Flying Green</a>, and FMS Jet Aviation. Aura Aero says it now holds letters of intent for 330 ERA aircraft.
<h3 class="subheading">Cost Savings Could Disrupt Regional Airline Market</h3>
“If Aura Aero can deliver the aircraft with the promised specifications, it will be very disruptive,” commented Amadeo’s chairman and CEO Mark Lapidus. “We believe&nbsp;the ERA will be better or at least comparable to turbine aircraft [in terms of performance]. The market needs an [electric] aircraft that can fly at altitude and able to fly distances such as London to the south of France in two hours. Access to small airports could be a very disruptive element, and the cost savings in terms of fuel burn maintenance, fewer crew, and lower airport charges are all factors our investors can understand.”
European business aircraft management company and private charter operator Elit'Avia predicts growing interest in electric aviation in the market segments it serves. “We were surprised by our clients’ positive reaction to the ERA,” said CEO Michel Coulomb. “Even large business jet owners know they have to reduce their carbon footprint for short flights of just one to two hours.”
In addition to its EngineUs&nbsp;100 motors, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-04-21/aircraft-engine-giant-safran-opportunity-knocks-door-leading-electric">Safran </a>is responsible for all aspects of power management, storage, and distribution through its GeneUsGrid high voltage technology and also its GeneUsPack energy storage units. The company’s electrical and power division is also providing the ERA’s turbogenerators.
Another French aerospace giant, Thales, is supplying the ERA’s avionics suite, as well as connectivity systems and technology to allow energy data to be integrated with the flight management systems to help operators to make the best use of the available energy. Thales v-p for flight avionics, Jean-Paul Ebanga, told reporters that the flight deck will be based on the company’s latest cloud-based capabilities to support single-pilot operations.
Both Safran and Thales are also working on another French start-up's plans to reshape the regional air mobility sector with hybrid-electric propulsion. They are partnered with <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-22/voltaero-partners-safran-and-thales-its-cassio-hybrid-electric-aircraft">VoltAero</a> in the development of the four- to 10-seat Cassio family of aircraft.
The ERA will feature a fly-by-wire system that Auro Aero is developing in-house. Padulo said the company has taken this approach because it wants to ensure full integration of the aircraft's hybrid power management system with the flight controls. “We also need to pave the way for more autonomous flight systems and increase the ratio of software to hardware to make it easier to upgrade the aircraft in the future,” he explained.
Aura Aero plans to manufacture the Integral and ERA aircraft at a new purpose-built factory in the Toulouse area. Having conducted its work since <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-03-31/electric-light-aircraft-start-unveils-ambitious-plan-hybrid-regional">launching in 2021</a> on initial funding of around $50 million, the company says it will soon start seeking more capital from a wider group of investors. Cassaude said the full launch of the ERA program will happen in the next few months and that it will likely take “several hundred million” to get the new aircraft to market.

Managing Editor

Aura Aero Unveils Redesigned Hybrid-Electric Regional Airliner Building on Progress With Electric Trainer

Auro Aero this week reported provisional sales for&nbsp;130 more examples of its 19-seat Electric Regional Aircraft (ERA). The French start-up said that nine airlines have committed to adding the hybrid-electric model to their fleets, with deliveries set to begin in 2027. The latest agreement takes&nbsp;total “order intentions” confirmed to date to over 330 units, including a 200-aircraft commitment in October 2021 from leasing group <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-19/amedeo-commits-adding-200-electric-regional-aircraft-its-lease-portfolio">Amedeo</a>.
The newest letters of intent have been signed by Afrijet from Gabon (10 aircraft), Malta-based private aviation group Elit'Avia (20 aircraft), Brazilian logistics group Dux (20 aircraft), France’s Flying Green and Twinjet (10 and 25 aircraft, respectively), and FMS of Switzerland (10 aircraft). Three undisclosed operators have committed to the other 35 units.
The latest sales commitments include VIP and cargo versions of the ERA. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-03-31/electric-light-aircraft-start-unveils-ambitious-plan-hybrid-regional">Aura Aero</a> has not specified how many seats the VIP cabin would have or which operators plan to buy this version. According to the company's website, the cargo version would have a payload of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) and a volume of 25 cubic meters&nbsp;(883 cu ft).
Aura Aero intends to start flying a full-scale prototype in 2024. The company now says the aircraft is expected to have a maximum payload range of 1,000 nm that would reduce&nbsp;to 215 nm for all-electric operations, and a cruise speed of 300 knots. It is expected to be able to operate from runways of as short s&nbsp;600 meters (1,968 feet).
In April 2022, Aura Aero reached an agreement for French engine maker Safran to supply its EngineUs family of electric motors for the ERA’s propulsion system, along with its GeneUs distribution and protection system. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-04-21/aircraft-engine-giant-safran-opportunity-knocks-door-leading-electric">Safran Electric &amp; Power</a> will also supply motors for the two-seat Integral E electric training aircraft that Toulouse-based Aura Aero is developing. 
Last November, France’s DGAC aviation regulator issued <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-11-29/aura-aero-secures-part-21g-manufacturing-approval">Part 21G manufacturing approval</a> to Aura Aero. This cleared the way for the company to start producing aircraft, starting with the piston-powered Integral R version of its new trainer. However, French investigator BEA is still working to confirm the cause of an April 12 accident in which two test pilots died when an Integral R prototype aircraft crashed.

Aura Aero Gathers More Commitments for Electric Regional Aircraft

Safran&nbsp;Electrical &amp; Power will supply propulsion systems for a family of new fixed-wing electric aircraft being developed by French start-up Aura Aero. In an April 7 announcement, the&nbsp;companies said the partnership covers the initial Integral E light aircraft and also the planned 19-seat Electric Regional Aircraft (ERA). 
Aura Aero’s two-seat Integral E aerobatic trainer will feature Safran’s smart EngineUs&nbsp;electric motor, capable of generating more than 100 kW, and the GeneUsGrid&nbsp;distribution and protection system. The manufacturer&nbsp;expects the prototype to fly for the first time later&nbsp;in 2022 and anticipates first deliveries&nbsp;in&nbsp;2023.
French aviation authorities last November issued Part 21G approval to Aura Aero, marking the first step toward&nbsp;production of its Integral family of light aircraft. The authorization also cleared the company to advance its longer-term goal to develop the ERA model.
Under a memorandum of understanding, aircraft engines and systems&nbsp;group Safran will also work with the&nbsp;Auro Aero engineering team on the electrical architecture studies for the hybrid-electric ERA. The studies will center on the high direct voltage propulsive architecture to deliver the power needed for the electric engines. The work will also include the “non propulsive” electrical architecture used to power the aircraft’s other systems.&nbsp;
Aura&nbsp;Aero plans to fly the ERA for the first time in 2024, with entry into commercial service now projected for 2027, which is around a year later than the company had previously said. In October 2021, airliner leasing group Amadeo signed a provisional sales agreement covering 200 of the ERAs, which are expected to have a range of around 900 miles.
“In every way, these projects are in line with our strategic aims: they feature breakthrough technologies, have a low-carbon footprint, and are electrically powered,” said the general manager and executive vice president of the power division of Safran Electrical &amp; Power, Hervé Blanc. “This agreement bolsters our position as a key player in the fields of equipment electrification and electric and hybrid propulsion. It also marks two Toulouse-based companies—both firmly established in the Occitanie region's industrial fabric—working together.”
France-based Safran is now vying directly with UK rival Rolls-Royce to provide propulsion for new electric aircraft. Working through its CFM International joint venture with GE Aviation, the company is also involved in plans to develop hydrogen powertrains for new zero-carbon airliners&nbsp;Airbus plans to bring to market from 2035.
Aura Aero co-founder and chief programs officer Wilfried Dufaud stressed the value of Safran’s contribution to the project, calling the collaboration “essential” for meeting its timeframe goals. “As part of the joint aim to industrialize the production of electric aircraft, Safran is providing its rare expertise in high-voltage networks, which is needed for the Integral E and ERA architectures,” he said. “This collaboration is evidence of our shared determination to decarbonize the aviation sector.”

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Safran Starts Work on Propulsion Systems for Aura Aero's Electric Aircraft Family

French aviation authorities have issued Part 21G approval to start-up Aura Aero, marking the first step toward&nbsp;production of its Integral family of light aircraft. The authorization clears the way for the company to advance its longer-term goal to develop the 19-seat Electrical Regional Aircraft.
The Part 21G approval certifies that parts produced by Aura Aero comply with their design specifications. The company is now seeking clearance to build complete aircraft, with production initially focused on the piston-powered Integral R two-seater, tail-dragger design, which has been ordered by two French flying clubs.
According to the Toulouse-based company, it will soon start production of the Integral S model, which is also piston-powered and with a tricycle landing gear. The company&nbsp;intends to make a first flight with the electric-powered Integral E model in 2022.
Earlier this year, Aura Aero opened a 38,000-sq-ft&nbsp;manufacturing facility in a former French air force hangar. It says that it already holds orders for 50 examples of the Integral E, mainly from flight-training organizations and aerobatic clubs. 
The company has not yet finalized the projected performance for the ERA model but believes that the market likely needs an aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of around 8.5 metric tons (18,700 pounds) and a range of up to around 900 miles. It plans to use a hybrid-electric propulsion system for the airliner since current battery technology would limit its range to no more than 250 miles and this would be further limited by the need to have 45 minutes of power reserves for safety margins. 
Aura Aero says it will have a prototype ready to start test flights in 2024. Early concept drawings show an aircraft with six sets of propellers on the wing.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Aura Aero

News

Aura Aero Will Build Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner in Florida

Alpine Air Express Plans to Electrify Fleet with Aura Aero's ERA

Electric Aircraft Developer Aura Aero Opens Florida Base

Aura Aero Secures First Integral E Customer in Norway

Aura Aero Scores New Orders for Hybrid-electric Airliner

Aura Aero Unveils Redesigned Hybrid-Electric Regional Airliner Building on Progress With Electric Trainer

Aura Aero Gathers More Commitments for Electric Regional Aircraft

Safran Starts Work on Propulsion Systems for Aura Aero's Electric Aircraft Family

Aura Aero Secures Part 21G Manufacturing Approval

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