Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

VoltAero is preparing to take its hybrid-electric Cassio aircraft on a tour of 10 French cities to promote its potential to provide more environmentally sustainable regional air services. On October 19, the French company announced it is partnering with airport and infrastructure group Edeis to further plans to have an initial version of the fixed-wing, eSTOL design ready to enter commercial service by early 2023.
Under the partnership, Edeis will provide the resources needed to support the Cassio’s development and service entry, including airport infrastructure, airspace support, and customer service. The two companies will collaborate to set up a support network that will also include maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, as well as training.
The planned tour will be made by the Cassio 1 technology demonstrator, which on October 1 made a first flight with VoltAero’s hybrid-electric propulsion system, backed up by a pair of Safran’s ENGINeUS 45 electric motors. The new unit is fitted in a pusher configuration in the aft fuselage, while the electric motors are in the forward-facing “puller” configuration on the wing. Test flights are underway from the company’s base at Royan-Medis Airport in southwest France.
The tour is due to get underway on October 26, taking off from Vannes in the Brittany region of western France. Over the next week, it will visit&nbsp;Tours, Le Havre, Toussus-le-Noble (near Paris), Troyes, Dijon, Annecy, Aix, Nimes, Toulouse, and Angouleme. Local political and business leaders, as well as executives from aircraft operators and airports, will be invited to view the Cassio, to show&nbsp;them the potential for commercial services. 
“The tour will highlight how French aviation and transportation players can bring their innovation to meet the growing challenges faced in regional mobility,” commented Edeis managing director Olivier Galzi. “Maintaining appropriate levels of air service is more crucial than ever for small- and medium-sized companies, especially those who suffer from the decreasing operations of scheduled airlines.”
VoltAero’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 used three of Safran’s 45-kW motors to log more than 25 flights and 14 hours in the testbed aircraft, which is derived from the Cessna 337 Skymaster.
According to VoltAero CEO and chief technology officer Jean Botti, the company is on schedule to achieve its objective of having the four- to 10-seat Cassio 600 model certified under EASA’s CS-23 rules to enter service in late 2022 or early 2023. The production model will be a single-pusherprop based entirely on what VoltAero calls its “power module,” which&nbsp;is expected to be able to fly almost 750 miles at speeds of up to 230 mph.
In May, VoltAero announced plans to offer three variants of the Cassio, which will feature a distinctive aft main wing, a tail boom, and a canard. In addition to the Cassio 600 (with a 600 kW propulsion system), there will be a four-seat Cassio 330 and a six-seat Cassio 480.
The aircraft is intended for various business and general aviation applications, including air-taxi services. VoltAero says they will be able to takeoff and land with less than 1,800 feet of runway and be able to operate for up to 10 hours each day.
The company was founded by Jean Botti, who was formerly Airbus’s chief technology officer. He led the European aerospace group’s E-Fan X electric aircraft program, which was abandoned earlier this year. 
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Charles Alcock

The production version of the VoltAero Cassio will feature a single hybrid-electric propulsion unit driving a pusher prop. (Image: VoltAero)

VoltAero's Cassio Set for Tour-de-France Demonstration Tour

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