Ampaire today launched the next phase of development work for its plans to convert aircraft to hybrid-electric propulsion when its Electric EEL technology demonstrator made the 35-mile flight from Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands to Wick on the Scottish mainland. The converted six-seat Cessna 337 Skymaster is being used for trials intended to demonstrate the feasibility of using hybrid-electric propulsion to support regional airline services.
These flight trials are being supported by funding from the UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for a project called the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) that is being led by Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Airport Limited. Once these are complete, the Ampaire team will take the Electric EEL to the far southwest of the UK, where it will conduct further demonstration flights between Exeter and Cornwall as part of the Towards Zero Emissions in Regional Aircraft Operations (2ZERO) project.
