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.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

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

French start-up's new headquarters is located at Rochefort Airport

VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

The carrier has scrapped its 2030 target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions

Air New Zealand Keeps Electric Aircraft Plans Despite Net-zero Target Stall

Peter Shaw-Smith

Cassio 330 hybrid-electric aircraft is "halfway" to certification, VoltAero says

Sigma Air Mobility Teams with VoltAero on Dual-Fuel Powered Fleet

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

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Global Sky signed a memorandum of understanding for 15 of the five- to 12-seat aircraft

Asian Sales Group Plans to Buy VoltAero Cassio Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Several new hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft are in development

Green Regional Airliners Could Break the Market Mold

The French company aims to start flying the Cassio prototype by the end of 2024

VoltAero Displays Cassio 330 Mockup with Partner Sky2Share

Hanneke Weitering

Geneva event to highlight electric, hybrid, and hydrogen aircraft solutions

AAM To Take Center Stage at EBACE 2024

VoltAero has successfully flown its hybrid-electric Cassio&nbsp;testbed using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by TotalEnergies, the French start-up announced on September 21. According to the French start-up, this was the first time any aircraft with a hybrid-electric powertrain has flown on pure SAF, a biofuel that is typically blended with traditional jet fuel.&nbsp;
The company’s Cassio technology demonstrator, a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster, took off from VoltAero’s development facility in Royan, France on September 8. It was filled with TotalEnergies’ Excellium Racing 100, a biofuel made from winemaking waste collected in French vineyards, according to VoltAero. The same fuel has been used in automobile races since 2022 and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by at least 65 percent over its entire life cycle when compared with fossil fuel equivalents.
The flight&nbsp;lasted just over one hour, a&nbsp;company spokesperson told&nbsp;AIN. Before the flight, VoltAero tested the fuel on its ground test bench for more than three hours, they said. VoltAero would not disclose the cost of the fuel it acquired from TotalEnergies.
“Based on initial results, we calculated a truly impressive CO2 reduction of approximately 80 percent while operating the Cassio powertrain in its electric-hybrid mode and with the internal combustion engine fueled by TotalEnergies’ Excellium Racing 100,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and chief technology officer. “It underscores the opportunity for production Cassio aircraft to represent a major step closer to aviation’s decarbonization goals by replacing standard Avgas 100 high-octane fuel for aviation piston engines.”
While VoltAero’s hybrid-electric aircraft can operate solely on battery power during all phases of flight (taxi, takeoff, landing, and cruise), it has combustion engines that function as a range extender, recharging the batteries in flight. For short flights of up to 150 kilometers (90 miles), the aircraft does not require any fuel at all. In addition to enabling longer flights, the hybrid system can provide backup power if there’s a problem with the electric propulsion system.&nbsp;&nbsp;
VoltAero has been <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2020-10-14/voltaeros-hybrid-propulsion-system-makes-first-flight-cassio-demonstrator">flying its Cassio testbed</a> since 2020, but this was the first time it flew using biofuels or SAF. The SAF that is commercially available today is limited to a maximum blend of 50 percent biofuel, but aircraft OEMs have been flying various aircraft on pure SAF experimentally for years. For example, Boeing’s EcoDemonstrator made the world's first commercial airplane flight using 100 percent SAF in 2018.&nbsp;
TotalEnergies’ unblended SAF has also been used to power <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-10-29/french-partners-fly-a319neo-using-100-percent-saf">an Airbus A319neo</a> test aircraft as well as <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-11-09/airbus-h225-flies-100-percent-saf">an Airbus H225</a>, which became the first helicopter to fly using 100 percent SAF in 2021. The company’s blended fuels have been available at Paris-Le Bourget, Clermont-Ferrand, and Bordeaux-Mérignac airports.&nbsp;
“This demonstration flight is part of our commitment to support players in the aviation sector for their decarbonization objectives,” said Joël Navaron, the President of TotalEnergies Aviation. “More broadly, it demonstrates our desire to continue our research and development efforts to offer an alternative to aviation gasoline containing lead, thereby meeting the challenges of general aviation’s decarbonization. We already have initiated several actions—such as the installation of several electric charging stations for general aviation aircraft, and the launch of a pilot program aimed at offering SP98-type fuel for compatible aircraft.”
VoltAero’s plans for decarbonizing aviation include a whole family of hybrid-electric Cassio aircraft and possibly even hydrogen-powered aircraft. Its first product will be the Cassio 330, a five-seat aircraft equipped with a four-cylinder, 165-kilowatt Kawasaki engine and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-22/voltaero-partners-safran-and-thales-its-cassio-hybrid-electric-aircraft">Safran’s EngineUs 100</a> smart electric motor. The company revealed its <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-06-19/voltaero-unveils-first-cassio-330-prototype-aircraft-ahead-first-flight">Cassio 330 prototype at the Paris Airshow</a> in June 2023 and intends to begin flight testing with it in 2024.&nbsp;
Subsequent Cassio models will include the six-seat Cassio 480 and the 12-seat Cassio 600. The Cassio 480 will use a six-cylinder thermal engine provided by Kawasaki. VoltAero has not yet announced which engine will power the larger, 600-kilowatt Cassio 600.

Science & Technology Editor

VoltAero Flies Hybrid-electric Aircraft on Sustainable Aviation Fuel

VoltAero is debuting the first full-scale prototype of its Cassio 330 hybrid-electric aircraft at the Paris Airshow this week. The Cassio 330, which can be configured&nbsp;with either four or five seats, will be the first of three hybrid-electric aircraft that VoltAero intends to produce for cargo, air taxi, and medevac applications.&nbsp;
The French start-up plans to begin flight testing with the newly revealed Cassio 330 prototype later this year. For the upcoming flight test campaign, VoltAero will equip the aircraft with a four-cylinder, 165-kilowatt engine supplied by company partner and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-05-25/voltaero-wins-kawasaki-funding-hybrid-electric-aircraft">strategic investor Kawasaki Motors</a>, a company best known for its motorcycle engine products.&nbsp;
VoltAero expects a&nbsp;second Cassio 330 prototype, which the company will use for its airworthiness certification program, to take flight in the second quarter of 2024. That version will become the first to fly using VoltAero’s new hybrid-electric propulsion system, which consists of Kawasaki’s four-cylinder thermal engine and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-22/voltaero-partners-safran-and-thales-its-cassio-hybrid-electric-aircraft">Safran’s EngineUs 100</a>&nbsp;smart electric motor.
<h3 class="subheading">Avidyne's Quantum Avionics Selected For Cassio Flight Deck</h3>
The second Cassio 330 prototype will also come equipped with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/advanced-air-mobility/2023-06-08/avidyne-introduces-quantum-avionics-platform">Avidyne's new Quantum avionics platform</a>. The full interior of the five-seat Cassio 330 model, including the new avionics suite,&nbsp;is on display at the Paris Airshow this week.
Subsequent Cassio models will include the six-seat Cassio 480 and the 12-seat Cassio 600. The Cassio 480, which will produce a combined hybrid-electric propulsion power of 480 kilowatts, will use a six-cylinder thermal engine also provided by Kawasaki. VoltAero has not yet announced which engine will power the larger, 600-kilowatt Cassio 600.&nbsp;
VoltAero has partnered with French company Akira Technologies&nbsp;for the integration and validation of Cassio’s hybrid propulsion unit, including the engine and motors. Akira Technologies&nbsp;will also take responsibility for the&nbsp;design, development, and ground testing of the gearbox, according to VoltAero.
Each of the Cassio aircraft will use only electric power during taxi, takeoff, and landing, while the hybrid engine feature will activate during cruise flight to function as a range extender that recharges the batteries. The hybrid system also serves as a backup in case of a problem with the electric propulsion. VoltAero says its aircraft will be able to operate on sustainable biofuels as well as hydrogen power in the future.

VoltAero Unveils First Cassio 330 Prototype Aircraft Ahead of First Flight

The French government is backing VoltAero’s work on the Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft with a €5.6 million ($6 million) grant. The funding, announced on June 8, is part of the country’s France 2030 investment fund and was awarded by BPI France, the agency tasked with fueling economic growth by backing entrepreneurs.
VoltAero’s propulsion system is based on electric motors installed in the aft fuselage that will be used for all-electric power during taxi and takeoff, as well as during cruise flight on short trips of less than 150 kilometers&nbsp;(94 miles). An internal combustion engine provides supplementary power to extend range, while also recharging the batteries during flights.
In May, Kawasaki Motors announced that it is backing VoltAero’s Series B funding round with a&nbsp;strategic investment of an undisclosed amount and the offer of engine expertise. The new capital builds on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-11-02/voltaero-secures-eu32-million-and-production-partner-hybrid-electric-cassio">€32 million investment</a> by Italy's TESI group in November 2022.
“This [BPI France] grant is another important vote of confidence in VoltAero and our vision to develop the unique family of Cassio electric-hybrid general aviation airplanes for safe, quiet, efficient, and eco-friendly flight,” said VoltAero CEO and chief technology officer Jean Botti. “It contributes to the Cassio 330’s development, certification, and production.”
VoltAero will be exhibiting at the Paris Air Show later this month and said it will provide a further program update during that event. As it continues development work behind the scenes, the company has been attracting provisional sales commitments from prospective operators, such as fractional ownership group Sky2Share, which on May 23 announced it has placed preorders for 15 of the five-seat Cassio 330 model. The agreement takes the number of provisional sales commitments booked by VoltAero to 218, including both orders and options.
<h3 class="subheading">Aerospace Groups Safran and Thales Are Cassio Program Partners</h3>
Featuring a forward fixed canard and aft-set wings with twin booms supporting a T-tail horizontal stabilizer, the Cassio will use <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-22/voltaero-partners-safran-and-thales-its-cassio-hybrid-electric-aircraft">Safran's EngineUs</a> electric motors in the aft fuselage-mounted propulsion system for all-electric power during taxi, takeoff, and landing. The hybrid feature—with an internal combustion engine—comes into play as a range extender, recharging the batteries in flight. The hybrid element also serves as a backup in case&nbsp;of a problem with the electric propulsion.
Another major French aerospace group,<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-22/voltaero-partners-safran-and-thales-its-cassio-hybrid-electric-aircraft"> Thales, is a program partner</a>, providing its FlytLink Edge computing system. This technology is already being employed to process multiple data streams on VoltAero's Cassio 1 technology demonstrator aircraft, using inputs from onboard cameras and sensors.
Cassio plans to offer three versions of the aircraft, each sharing a high degree of modularity and commonality. The company’s use case targets regional commercial operators, air taxi/charter companies, private owners, and utility-category services for cargo, postal delivery, and medevac applications.
Plans call for the five-seat Cassio 330, powered by the 330-kilowatt electric-hybrid propulsion system, to come first. VoltAero’s follow-on six-seat Cassio 480 would generate electric-hybrid propulsion power of 480 kilowatts, while the 12-seat Cassio 600 would feature useful power of 600 kilowatts.
The aircraft will be certified under EASA's CS23 certification specifications for single-engine, general aviation aircraft. Each Cassio aircraft will have a range of about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) and a cruise speed of around 230 mph (370 km/h).&nbsp; The all-electric range would be less than 94 miles (150 kilometers).&nbsp;
Headquartered at the Aérodrome de Royan-Médis in southwest France, Cassio plans to start final assembly in a purpose-built facility at the Rochefort Charente-Maritime Airport in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
&nbsp;

VoltAero

News

VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft

Air New Zealand Keeps Electric Aircraft Plans Despite Net-zero Target Stall

Sigma Air Mobility Teams with VoltAero on Dual-Fuel Powered Fleet

Asian Sales Group Plans to Buy VoltAero Cassio Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Green Regional Airliners Could Break the Market Mold

VoltAero Displays Cassio 330 Mockup with Partner Sky2Share

AAM To Take Center Stage at EBACE 2024

VoltAero Flies Hybrid-electric Aircraft on Sustainable Aviation Fuel

VoltAero Unveils First Cassio 330 Prototype Aircraft Ahead of First Flight

French Government Backs VoltAero's Hybrid-Electric Cassio Aircraft with €5.6 Million Grant

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