FutureFlight
VoltAero's Hybrid Propulsion System Makes First Flight On Cassio Demonstrator
The Cassio 1 technology demonstrator flew for the first time on October 11 with VoltAero's "power module" and a pair of Safran ENGINeUS motors.
VoltAero Cassio 600
The VoltAero Cassio 600 will be powered entirely by the French company's proprietary hybrid-electric propulsion system, but flight testing has begun on a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster technology demonstrator. (Image: VoltAero)

VoltAero this week began flight testing the hybrid-electric propulsion system for its new Cassio family of fixed-wing aircraft. On October 11, the Cassio 1 technology demonstrator took off from the company’s base at Royan-Medis Airport in southwest France, with the new unit installed in pusher configuration in the aft fuselage, while a pair of Safran’s ENGINeUS 45 electric motors were installed in forward-facing “puller” configuration on the wings.

The French company’s propulsion system combines three 60-kW electric motors, which are arranged in a triangular “barrel” configuration with a 370-hp internal combustion engine and drive a five-bladed propeller. It has been using three of Safran’s 45-kW motors to log 25 flights and 14 hours in the testbed aircraft, which is derived from the Cessna 337 Skymaster.