Daher’s position demonstrates well the state of the global aerospace market.

“We are in a paradox situation—some are happy; some are not happy,” said Patrick Daher, board chair for the Daher group, in kicking off the company’s performance review for 2023 in Paris on February 7. “We are feeling the impact of the international situation, and then we are still recovering from COVID, but the COVID crisis is over for us…But some international threats—for example the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, the future elections, the situation in China—all these events have created a political instability that is really worrying for the future.”

Yet industry events such as the 2023 Paris Air Show indicate where the future lies—with caution as to the expense of making change. “As chairman [of] the Salon de Bourget in 2023 and chairman of Daher…I have the chance to see that energy transition is coming with a really high price,” said Daher. “Speaking about industry, we have really good news in terms of an increase in production.”

In 2023, Daher recorded strong deliveries of both its TBM and Kodiak series turboprops, with a total of 56 TBMs and 18 Kodiaks, for a total of 76 units. In addition, it counts more than 100 turboprops in its order book, taking it well into 2025.

READ MORE: Daher Delivers 100th TBM 960

An Industry Overview

At the same time, major Daher client and partner Airbus has never manufactured so many aircraft—a record number went out the door in December, as Daher noted in the report. That is in spite of the constant pressures brought on by inflation, provisioning difficulties, recruitment challenges, rise in wages, and lowering margins. Collectively these have led to soft pricing models that have persisted through the past couple of years.

“We have forgotten how to deal with such problems of inflation that we experienced 20 years ago,” said Daher. “It was really hard to find raw materials, and this was linked to geopolitical problems, [such] as the war in Ukraine. We were missing material. This lack of raw materials is linked to the mismanagement of the supply chain—the suppliers failed to ship what we needed to manufacture our aircraft—and to produce what our clients asked us to do.”

Another problem Daher noted has been the lack of employee candidates. “It is not easy to recruit the right profiles…The COVID crisis changed behaviors in terms of wages and employees, so it is really hard for us to hire and find talents.” This has driven companies like Daher to invest heavily in training—because like never before they have had to recruit from outside the aviation industry.

“All these factors in 2023—after COVID, we were expecting 2021 and 2022 to be difficult—but these problems arrived in 2023,” Daher said. “All of these factors resulted in our weakened profitability. We need to consider the energy transition and the decrease in carbon intensity…2023 highlighted the emergency but also the [convergence], vis-à-vis the problem of decarbonization.”

The Daher group considers government support crucial—specifically CORAC, the French council for civil aviation research—and 300 million euros per year have been earmarked by CORAC to help fund the energy transition. “Aviation industry, all research efforts, have converged, because in the past each company focused on a specific research field, but right now there is a really clear target: low-carbon, low-emission aircraft,” Daher said.

Eco-Pulse Update

For the French OEM, the convergence flies today via its hybrid-electric Eco-Pulse technology demonstrator, which uses a TBM airframe, electric motors and powertrain components form Saran, and electric power storage by Airbus in a distributed lift model (simply put) to test various components and how they interact in actual flight operations. The Eco-Pulse retains a Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engine, but in December made its first flight segments completely powered by the six electric motors.

“It is a major step towards decarbonization,” said Daher. “Because high voltage electricity can be a good solution…we are continuing with some hybrid tests. This is the first step…People thought I was crazy [last year] when I spoke about this target [to have a marketable product by 2027], but we are headed in that direction.” It will be a TBM or Kodiak because those are the models Daher has in its portfolio, but the company has yet to determine which will be chosen and exactly what that will look like.

FLYING asked if the OEM could share any feedback—including any performance data, if possible—from those first flights. Christophe Robin, vice president of engineering for Daher’s aircraft division, provided this insight: “EcoPulse is a technology demonstrator, therefore, aircraft performance is not the goal. The EcoPulse configuration has been chosen with the strategy of increasing the level of complexity in hybridization to develop a ‘maturity picture’ for all of the technologies involved—including examining side effects such as weight penalties, as well as issues induced by HIRF (high-intensity radiated field) and lightning.”

READ MORE: We Fly: Daher TBM 960

Log’in, Shap’in, Fly’in

To support innovation efforts, Daher launched its second tech center, Log’in, in Toulouse, also geared toward decarbonization. “Out of 7 million tonnes [of carbon emissions] we realized that a big quantity is related to our clients, and we want to work on these figures [as well] in order to work on decarbonization,” said Daher.

Fly’in will be the third tech center Daher launches, in Tarbes, focused on aircraft development, “stepping up” in both technology and the drive towards net-zero emissions.

FLYING also asked Daher to expand on the current projects that have already been realized from the new technology centers and Eco-Pulse. Robin shared a portion of what the group has learned thus far, and what it expects to benefit from. 

“In addition to the aspects of EcoPulse that are linked to aircraft hybridization, another important focus is demonstrating the application of advanced composites on aircraft,” said Robin. “Under the guidance of Daher’s research and technology teams, EcoPulse is using composites for the aircraft’s winglets, engine pylons, Karman and battery fairings, as well as the air inlet—which were produced primarily with an infusion-based carbon/cork micro-sandwich. A goal of EcoPulse is to make it possible to evolve the performance and feasibility of integrating these technologies on secondary parts/components of Daher-built aircraft, while developing rapid prototyping skills used within the aviation framework.”

This is complementary to other developments underway at Daher—including projects in cooperation with partners such as CORAC (the French Council for Civil Aeronautical Research).

Pascal Laguerre, chief technology officer for Daher, provided significant insight beyond the Eco-Pulse demonstrator. “Taking a wider view for activities outside the framework of EcoPulse, Daher devotes a significant part of its overall R&D budget to thermoplastics,” said Laguerre. “This material is particularly promising in the world of aerostructures for future applications on production aircraft. It lends itself more easily to the automation of production (issue of throughput), and it is recyclable, repairable and weldable. Its mechanical properties make it possible to use less material and, overall, make structures lighter—all of which are key qualities with a view toward reducing carbon emissions. This is focused on accelerating the development of real applications in the future for the benefit of its customers, including [several more widely focused] projects.”

For example, as part of CORAC, Daher leads the largest French research project on thermoplastics in current execution, called TRAMPOLINE 2 (TheRmoplAstic coMPosites for hOrizontaL tail plaNE), as well as utilizing induction welding instead of riveting—with a weight savings of 15 percent.

Also, the investment has already borne fruit in components that will be found on the company’s current TBM product lines.

“After more than three years of R&D work, Daher succeeded in manufacturing rudder pedals in recycled high-performance thermoplastic composites from production scraps to equip the TBM, which have been certified for flight on production TBMs,” said Laguerre. “In addition to being lightweight, thermoplastics have low thermal conduction, as well as equal or better physicochemical and mechanical properties: It’s a win-win for Daher customers. And beyond the environmental benefits, the cost of these parts is significantly reduced compared to metal machining.

“In addition, Daher has obtained the first results of an R&D project called CARAC TP, carried out in collaboration with a set of academic laboratories competent in composite materials. The objective [is] to identify and characterize the thermoplastic composites best suited to aeronautical applications and compare them to thermoset materials. The project makes it possible to study materials in depth through multiple tests that go beyond the scope of qualification programs carried out in the industry: impact resistance, fire resistance, environmental aging (ozone, UV, fluids), impact of manufacturing processes on physicochemical properties, material performance, etc.”

Daher looks also outside its walls to new small businesses to help drive this innovation charge. Encouragingly, more than 300 aerospace-relevant startups took part in the Paris Air Show.

“We had 25 of these startups at the Daher stand at Le Bourget,” said Daher, noting that the company looks forward to engaging with these innovators, perhaps through acquisition or collaboration, on various projects.

WATCH: We Fly the Kodiak 900, Ready for Grand Adventures

The Takeoff 2027 Strategy

Daher reported a strengthening bottom line but noted there is room for improvement. At the press conference, Daher CEO Didier Kayat indicated the belief that Daher would become profitable based on its strategic realignment to better serve four sectors: aircraft, industry, industrial services, and logistics. The company also plans a transformation of the organizational structure by 2025, to help align and draw down any existing silos between the business functions.

To this end, Daher made a quartet of additions to its executive committee in the later part of 2023. On October 1, Alain-Jory Barthe joined Daher’s Industry division as senior vice president. Then, on January 1, Cédric Eloy became the head of the Industrial Services division as senior vice president of manufacturing services, and Julie de Cevins became the group’s chief sustainability officer—a key appointment, given the group’s charge to attain net-zero goals by 2050. Finally, on February 1, Aymeric Daher became senior vice president of the Logistics division.

Daher is adapting its organization to support the four business units, with the following actions:

• To create a managerial culture that is based in what it calls the “Daher Leadership Model”—effectively empowering a cadre of 1,500 leaders within the company to act with an entrepreneurial spirit
• To anticipate challenges and innovate toward decarbonisation solutions, with Eco-Pulse among other projects
• To support the acquisitions needed for growth across the four sectors.

Acquisitions have already borne fruit for the company, including the Stuart, Florida, facility.

“The acquisition of AAA strengthened the Industrial Services division, for example,” Daher said. “We are now the leader of industrial services…We can support aircraft manufacturers in peak periods.”

If Daher can make its way through the concurrent challenges of acquisition-driven growth, corporate restructuring, price pressures, and order fulfillment, its plan for the years ahead puts it on track to form part of the global solution to decarbonization—as well as providing the aircraft the customer demands for the future.

The post Daher’s Decarbonization Plans Drive Towards Hybrid-Electric Aircraft, Composites appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This week, European firms announced two collaborations intended to herald the transition from traditional jet fuel to alternative sources, such as hydrogen.

The first, between industry titan Airbus and four Scandinavian firms, aims to study the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at airports in Norway and Sweden. The companies claim the study—which covers two countries and more than 50 airports—is the first of its kind.

“Hydrogen stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources.”

Faury added that the company intends to deploy hydrogen ecosystems in “most suitable parts of the world.”

Separately, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS), a U.K.-based hydrogen aircraft developer, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LoganAir, the U.K.’s largest regional airline, to fly hydrogen-electric aircraft between Scotland’s Orkney Islands by 2027. The partners believe the collaboration could deliver the world’s first commercial zero-emissions flights.

Airbus Forms a Hydrogen Herd

Airbus on Wednesday said it will work with Avinor and Swedavia, the flag carriers of Norway and Sweden, respectively, as well as Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which serves the broader region. The companies will be joined by Vattenfall, a Swedish energy and power firm, which will support the partnership with electrical infrastructure and hydrogen production.

“We want to enable industry decarbonization,” said Anna Borg, president and CEO of Vattenfall. “Aviation is a hard-to-abate industry, where breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge today. This cross-border collaboration however demonstrates the willingness to bring about change.”

According to Airport Carbon Accreditation, airport-controlled activities comprise around 2 to 3 percent of all aviation emissions. To reduce that figure, airports will need to move away from traditional aviation fuel and toward sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other renewable alternatives, such as hydrogen.

“If generated from renewable energy through electrolysis, hydrogen emits no CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions, thereby enabling renewable energy to potentially power large aircraft over long distances but without the undesirable by-product of CO2 emissions,” Airbus claims on its website.

Airbus and its partners will study hydrogen aircraft concepts and operations, infrastructure, and refueling at airports to develop a hydrogen ecosystem in Norway and Sweden. The study will also identify which airports are candidates for early transformations and which regulatory frameworks will need to be in place.

“Hydrogen is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry’s fuel mix in the future and will therefore have an increasing effect on the infrastructure and planning of our airports,” said Jonas Abrahamsson, president and CEO of Swedavia. “This partnership is a major and important step towards fossil-free aviation in the Nordic region.”

Airbus sees potential for hydrogen to be combusted into fuel to power modified gas turbines or converted to electric power via fuel cells. It could even be used to create synthetic fuels, or e-fuels, which are generated exclusively using renewable sources.

The manufacturer’s goal is to bring a low-carbon commercial aircraft to market by 2035. In 2020, it launched ZEROe: a program to develop aircraft, systems, and an ecosystem for hydrogen aviation. All four aircraft concepts being developed under ZEROe—a turbofan, turboprop, blended-wing body, and fully electric model—are hydrogen powered and designed for 100 to 200 passengers. 

Last week, Airbus tested ZEROe’s “iron pod” hydrogen power system, a key milestone in the program’s progress. And in December, the EcoPulse demonstrator, a joint project between Airbus, Daher, and Safran, made its first hybrid-electric flight.

To build out an ecosystem, Airbus in 2020 introduced “Hydrogen Hub at Airports,” a program that initiated research into infrastructure requirements for low-carbon airport operations. The initiative brings together key industry players and includes airports, airlines, and other partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the U.K.

Electrifying the Islander

As Airbus and Co. collaborate on hydrogen infrastructure, CAeS and LoganAir are eyeing real-world flights.

LoganAir, which aims to be net-zero by 2040, hopes to fly the first operational hydrogen-electric Islander in the Orkney Islands by 2027, following certification in 2026. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial airliners in Europe, used primarily for short-range commercial passenger service.

“The short-haul routes we operate in Orkney and the challenging weather conditions we face make the ideal test bed for hydrogen-electric aircraft, and we are incredibly proud that we could be offering the world’s first commercial zero-emissions flights,” said Peter Simpson, executive chairman of Loganair.

LoganAir is a longtime supporter of CAeS’ Project Fresson: an initiative, partially funded by the U.K. government, to develop hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems for the more than 700 Islanders in operation, supported by Britten-Norman.

This week’s MOU, however, steps up the firms’ collaboration with additional operational requirements and design, standards and regulations, infrastructure development, and stakeholder engagement.

A proposed merger between CAeS and Britten-Norman, announced last year, would form a new company dedicated almost entirely to installing CAeS fuel cells on Islanders. But the firms have since put a pause on the deal.

“Collaborating closely with Loganair, we aim to harness our combined experience and expertise to address the operational and infrastructure considerations, ultimately ensuring the successful deployment of the hydrogen-electric Britten-Norman Islander across Loganair’s lifeline routes within the islands,” said Paul Hutton, CEO of Cranfield Aerospace.

Separately, CAeS is continuing to develop hydrogen fuel cells for a range of crewed and uncrewed aircraft, including cargo aircraft. In October, its fuel cell system order pipeline topped 1,300 with a letter of intent from cargo drone operator Dronamics.

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The post Airbus, More European Aviation Firms Explore Hydrogen Future appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Engaging its six electric ePropellers—and confirming the proper function of the flight control computer, high-voltage battery pack, distributed electric propulsion, and hybrid electric turbogenerator, the Eco-Pulse took off at 10:32 a.m. local time and flew for 100 minutes, ranging up to roughly 12,500 feet according to flight tracking data. Its ePropellers were powered during the flight by both a battery and a turbogenerator.

Up until last week, Eco-Pulse had flown with electric portion of the system inactive, making 10 hours of flight test and extensive ground runs from the facility at Tarbes. The demonstrator is based on the TBM airframe, with the integrated ePropellers, power distribution and rectifier unit (to guard the high-voltage network) and high-voltage power harnesses supplied by Safran, and the high-energy-density battery pack from Airbus. That battery pack is capable of delivering up to 350 kilowatts of power and is rated at 800 volts. The distinctive architecture of the system demonstrates that a single electrical source can power multiple electric motors positioned throughout the aircraft.

Proving the Decarbonization Roadmap

“We confirmed today that this disruptive propulsion system works in flight, which paves the way for more sustainable aviation,” said Eric Dalbiès, Safran’s executive vice president of strategy and chief technology officer. “The lessons learned from upcoming flight tests will feed into our technology roadmap and strengthen our position as leader in future all-electric and hybrid-electric propulsive systems.”

“This is a major milestone for our industry and we’re proud to have powered the EcoPulse demonstrator first flight with our new battery systems,” said Sabine Klauke, CTO at Airbus. “High-energy density batteries will be necessary to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, whether for light aircraft, advanced air mobility or large hybrid-electric aircraft. Projects like EcoPulse are key to accelerating progress in electric and hybrid electric flight, and a cornerstone of our aim to decarbonize the aerospace industry as a whole.”

“The flight campaign will give Daher invaluable data on the effectiveness of the onboard technologies, including distributed propulsion, high-voltage batteries and hybrid-electric propulsion,” said Pascal Laguerre, Daher’s CTO. “We’re working to converge practical and significant know-how on design, certification and operation to shape our path toward more sustainable aircraft for the future.” 

Previously, the group had flown the Eco-Pulse to the Paris Air Show last June, to showcase the sustainability initiatives of the collective companies, in concert with CORAC (the French Civial Aviation Research Council), the DGAC (French civil aviation authority), France Relance, and NextGeneration EU. The Eco-Pulse had its first reveal at the 2019 Paris Air Show—so significant progress has been made in the four years since that moment.

The next time the public can see the Eco-Pulse on display is December 6-7, at the Green Aero Days in Pau, France.

The post Daher Reveals First Hybrid-Electric Flight of Eco-Pulse appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That truism holds whether you’re approaching the grand event at Aéroport Paris-Le Bourget in France as a spectator, a member of the trade, or an exhibitor proposing a new product, service, or technology for the future.

For us, we took the metro, then the train, then walked the 2 miles to the entrance gate, 1 hour, 15 minutes each way. There were buses—but we walked faster than they could move through the traffic. For those who had houses rented nearby, the time en route fluctuated horribly—and was no better, stuck in the congestion. I honestly considered electric vertical takeoff and landing craft in a different light—but could we all be buzzing around? Would it just transfer the congestion from the streets to the skies?

But for those exhibiting, the road to #PAS2023 clearly began years—even a decade or more—ago, as the maturity of solutions like those very eVTOLs shone brightly as a force field against the pressures to decarbonize. And they joined sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen-powered aircraft, and new ways to make lift in concert to assuage the skepticism that we could collectively achieve the net-zero emission goals the industry has promised by 2050.

So, How Did it Feel?

Normally rotating years with the similar aerospace trade show of record in Farnborough, UK, “Le Bourget” last commenced in July 2019, a victim in 2021 of the extended seizures of the pandemic. 

I’ve spent the bulk of my career in general aviation—with a short foray at a Boeing subsidiary, but still in aviation training—so the while Paris the city wasn’t new to me, the Paris Air Show was. So, in late June, we formed a vacation around PAS, to visit friends in Paris and see for myself what the spectacle would hold. 

How would it feel to walk around a static display not just hosting the latest from Gulfstream and Dassault and Daher, but also Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer’s commercial transport category jets and bristling military hardware? As it turns out, imposing to stand next to, but also thrilling. And I once again had that feeling I’d been a fighter pilot in another life when I sat in the Super Tocano at Embraer. No, they didn’t allow selfies…

Dassault celebrated its 60th anniversary with Mirage and Rafale displays across the aisle from its trijet Falcon 8X, 2000LXS, the nearly-certificated 6X and the 10X mockup. We watched the airshow for a bit after lunch with former Dassault test pilots from the deck of the media chalet—a completely different airshow performance than the ones I know so well from EAA AirVenture and Sun ’n Fun and the Reno Air Races.

In fact, I had a chance to sit in on one of the pilot briefings for the airshow on Thursday morning and climbed the stairs in the rain to the control-tower-like command center from which the air boss and his deputies would coordinate the whole affair. A common thread? After briefing the weather, boxes, and run of show, everyone save the pilots were dismissed for the debrief on the previous days’ events. The debrief stays sacred and reserved to just those flying—to preserve its integrity and allow for the free flow of information and safety recommendations. More on that in a follow on story for FLYING.

But Wait, What About the Big Guys?

We took a brief tour of the Boeing 777X-9, all kitted out inside for flight test—just like the flight test articles of the much smaller jets. I think of being on board the Cessna Citation Mustang conforming prototype in 2006. So the 777X is just… a lot bigger. 

While on board, we talked with Brad Surak, who heads up Boeing Digital Services now, with Jeppesen, ForeFlight, and now Cloud Ahoy under his oversight—probably one of the few GA spaces left within the Big B. The good news? It sure sounds like they are allowing the teams they’ve acquired to keep focused in their respective lanes. More on that, too, in a later story.

Technology on Display

And what of the halls filled with delegations from countries around the globe, presenting their research, and workforce, and production skill sets as solutions? Mockups, prototypes in various states of compliance, and an endless stream full of great ideas.

My personal favorite—and yes, the subject of upcoming coverage in the magazine—was the EcoPulse technology demonstrator, which is a joint project between Daher, Safran, and Airbus. It appeals to me not only because of its TBM DNA, but because it is so completely and purposefully not-even-close to a commercial product. And it was on display in its full reveal. 

We know that aerospace manufacturers experiment all the time to drive forward—and as aviation journalists we relish the chase, trying to figure out what the next move will be from a favorite OEM. There are so many questions to answer—and it was with clear delight that the program’s manager for Daher, Christophe Robin, walked us around F-WECO, essentially telling us everything that was working as well as a bunch of things that never would. And they were so glad to find out. Though I’m sure there’s more they’re not quite ready to share yet…

Another great example of future-forward application of new sources of power for flight? The Elfly project underway in Norway. Taking a tried and true airframe style based somewhat on the amphibious Grumman Albatross, the Noemi (for “no emissions”) plans to utilize quiet electric motors to access a string of seaplane ports along Norway’s fjordic coast. They hope to be operational commercially in 2029.

And the Elephant in the Room?

So, you may be asking, did we see protests like the ones popping up across France—and throughout Europe—all summer, spiteful towards private aviation? 

Security was like an unseen hand, most of the time, and it wrapped itself around Le Bourget as though wearing a velvet glove. We passed a few minutes every morning in the media entrance line having bags and bodies searched, as you might expect—and the maze to get in the general entrance gate was really interesting—made purposefully difficult to run straight through.

But we spent more than an hour each day walking from the train station to the airport gates, with no signs of strife. There were, however, more police vans assembled along the perimeter roads than I have seen in after several years of living in the western EU. Most of the gendarmerie appeared to be playing Sudoku on their phones.

And within Paris itself, we were fortunate too—aside from getting a dose of eau de Metro during rush hour a few times, we escaped unscathed and fully provisioned with wine, paté, and great stories for the months ahead to pursue.

The post What Happened in Paris appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

From a literal standpoint, many examples of this concept jostled for attention on the static display and in the halls at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget this year. But the distributed power demonstrated by CORAC-supported collaboration between major aerospace OEMs Daher, Safran, and Airbus on the EcoPulse project has also emerged as a theme in the drive toward a market-ready airplane.

CORAC stands for “le Conseil pour la Recherche Aéronautique Civile,” or French Aeronautic Research Council, a focal group in France leading the charge toward decarbonization. EcoPulse is also funded by the DGAC (France’s civil aviation authority) through France Relance and NextGenerationEU. While governmental motivation is critical, what powers a project toward real sustainability solutions is the will to commit precious workforce and material resources at the corporate and teams level.

What Is EcoPulse?

From a distance, the silhouette of the EcoPulse belies its basis on the Daher TBM airframe. Already an efficient utilizer of the Pratt & Whitney PT6-series turboprop engine, the TBM 900 formed a shell for the project with well-understood aerodynamics and serviceability as a baseline for the effort.

Daher was already “in anticipation” of the current climate on decarbonization for some time, according to head of aircraft design Christophe Robin, lead for the EcoPulse project for Daher’s team, with chief technology officer Pascal Laguerre. 

“We started to think about that five years ago, and at that time it was not a very common word—decarbonization—so we said we need to do something,” said Robin in a walkaround the airplane with FLYING. “But let’s make something very concrete. No PowerPoint, no things like that. Let’s build an aircraft—and let’s build an aircraft with partners, with people that have the technology that we don’t have as an aircraft manufacturer. Above 28 volts of electricity, we don’t know too much.

“The goal is not to modify a TBM. The goal is to put as much technology as possible on an aircraft, to make something which is probably completely stupid from a product point of view, but which makes sense from a technology point of view.” 

From this, the consortium would learn and capture immense amounts of data from which to draw conclusions that could inform a marketable initial product offering.

• READ MORE: EcoPulse Aircraft Headlines Daher’s Sustainability Initiatives

The project was announced at Le Bourget in 2019—the last occasion of the Paris Air Show—and work has taken place since then. Safran produced the six electric ENGINeUS motors (at 80 kwh each) mounted with e-Propellers distributed along the wings, three on each side. The props have two positions, one for normal flight, and one feathered. The propulsion system takes its power from two sources: a turbogenerator—an electricity generator powered by a gas-burning turbine—from Safran and a battery pack supplied by Airbus. The Power Distribution and Rectifier Unit protects the high-voltage network and distributes the available electrical power along with the high-voltage harnesses (all from Safran). That’s important, because the system manages a total capacity of 800 volts—a leap in electrical system management unprecedented in this type of vehicle.

“Hybridization and electrification are key to the aerospace sector’s decarbonization journey,” said Sabine Klauke, CTO at Airbus. “With EcoPulse, we learned a lot from developing the high-power battery pack entirely, from the monitoring system to the thermal runaway and short-circuit tests. Some of these key learnings are already applied in several of our demonstrators with the common ambition to lower emissions. We are now all eager to see this technology flying and continue to progress on our electrification roadmap.”

First Flight: Normal Power

The EcoPulse took its maiden flight in 2022 using its stock PT6A engine before the electrical system was operational. Ground and flight testing thus far in 2023—including 27 hours in flight—have gone toward proving the aerodynamics of the engine configuration along with the operability of its systems. The flight deck features a Garmin G1000 standard on the airframe, with additional avionics to support the new systems. The consortium looks forward to the first flight engaging the electric motors later this summer.

“The demonstrator has so far amassed around 27 hours of flight time with the electric propellers feathered,” said Laguerre of Daher. “Flight tests of the hybrid-electric powertrain are due to begin later this summer. We are going to learn a lot. From this demonstration program, we plan to develop our future product roadmap and basically spec the hybrid aircraft we intend to produce by the end of our five-year plan. We expect by the end of 2027 to be able to offer our first hybrid aircraft to the market.”

Eric Dalbiès, executive vice president of strategy and CTO for Safran, said: “After endurance ground test campaign for the e-Propellers, the first hybrid-electric flight with the six e-Propellers activated will be an important milestone for our technology roadmap as Safran’s objective is to position itself as the leader in future hybrid and all-electric aircraft systems.” 

“For us this project is a sweet sport,” Dalbiès added in the press briefing. “Whatever happens in the future, about the maturity of this kind of system, it’s really answering the goals of research and technology projects, to make a representative demonstration—full scale—of the complete system.”

The post EcoPulse Debut at Paris Highlights Progress on Sustainable Solutions appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

At the Paris Air Show, company chairman Patrick Daher addressed the need for such investment—to give the mission the support it requires to achieve the lofty and critical goals of decarbonization. 

“People are very excited, very much on top of the situation—while we’ve been through the Paris Air Show and we have seen that all of us—all of us meaning all exhibitors, whether French, American, or any other countries, we have invested a lot of money in decarbonization,” Daher said.

• We Fly: Daher TBM 960

Daher noted that collectively the industry is on the eve of “the fourth evolution” of aviation. The first one was just being able to fly, “something that was thought impossible at the beginning of the 19th century,” followed by the ability to fly safely. The third evolution brought flying to everyone, in “democratization.” “Now the fourth evolution is we have to change the aviation system in order to come to decarbonization. If we do not do that, then that will be the end of aviation in the future.”

Strategic Investment

Daher celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, and it kicked off that commemoration with the “Take off  2027” plan announced at the beginning of 2023. A significant part of the plan centers around the company’s decarbonization efforts across its four verticals—aircraft development, aerospace manufacturing, manufacturing services, and logistics. The programmed investment represents four times the spend of the previous strategic plan.

• We Fly: Daher Kodiak 900

The company has created three innovation centers within its structure to help it contribute to the goals of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 as outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change. An initial “significant step” will take place by 2035, utilizing these centers along with efforts by its partners, suppliers, and customers. “Competitive solutions” for the marketplace will launch in three to 10 years in areas such as hybridization, new-generation materials, production processes (robotization and cobotization—human/robot collaboration), and digital transformation.

Solutions for the 90 Percent

Daher CEO Didier Kayat revealed in the press conference at Paris that 90 percent of the group’s carbon footprint comes from utilization of its products by its customers.

“Ninety percent of the carbon impact of Daher is due to the products of our clients,” said Kayat. “So if we don’t help our clients decarbonize, we will not achieve our decarbonization plans.”

In order to reduce those impacts, Daher is pursuing the use of lighter structures and new production processes to both increase output and reduce emissions. Also it will pursue more ecologically responsible logistics, using cleaner modes of transportation, for example, and implementing use of biofuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel, which it has already started at its aircraft division headquarters in Tarbes, France.

Daher will also work on its own footprint through initiatives such as the launch of its first hybrid-electric aircraft by 2027—based on lessons learned from the EcoPulse joint project with Safran and Airbus, and driven into its TBM and Kodiak series of aircraft. 

“Though all my engineers say I’m crazy to say that publicly…we will launch a hybrid aircraft in 2027,” said Kayat. “We don’t know yet what aircraft it’s going to be,” but the company is learning a lot from the EcoPulse project so that “at the end of this year we can have the road map to see what our product is going to be.”

• READ MORE: Quest to Daher

‘Imagineering by Daher’

To achieve the critical goals—and propel the group toward a successful future as a global aerospace manufacturing and logistics company—Daher has developed the three centers of “open innovation” within its structure under the umbrella of “Imagineering by Daher.” While it has long promoted the spirit of entrepreneurship within the company, the current movement doubles down on preserving the startup mentality of its teams. Five key imperatives to that “imagineering” are “#explore, #connect, #test, #scale, and #communicate.”

The three centers include:

• Log’in: a Toulouse-based innovation acceleration platform for tomorrow’s logistics industry
• Shap’in: a center of excellence in Nantes dedicated to new-generation composite aerostructures
• Fly’in: a forward-looking development center in Tarbes for tomorrow’s general aviation industry.

Three examples of decarbonization projects within Daher take place in logistics and in its aircraft products. First, Daher is implementing the use of a digital twin (JUMEL) to model and optimize logistics warehouses—a project led by the Log’in TechCenter to promote and facilitate innovative, eco-responsible industrial logistics.

A second example is in the digitizing of data collection from its TBM series turboprops and using analysis of the data to drive more responsible flying. To this end, Daher launched version 6 of its Me & My TBM app earlier this year.

Third is the use of thermal plastics in its aircraft and other aerospace products. “We are working a lot on the new composites that [are] called thermal plastics,” said Kayat. “It’s reusable, so it has a double virtue—it makes planes lighter [by up to] 20 percent.”

“Since Daher’s creation 160 years ago, the company always has supported key industrial developments with its customers,” said Kayat in his closing statement. “We continue to write this story by going further: It is as pioneers that we will be the first to offer a hybrid aircraft to the market.”

The post ‘Imagineering’ by Daher Launches Within Increased Sustainability R&D Spend appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The four- or five-seat Cassio 330 represents the next step in a family that will eventually include the six-seat Cassio 480—with a combined electric-hybrid propulsion power of 480 kilowatts—and the 10/12-seat Cassio 600, projected to fly with electric-hybrid propulsion power totaling 600 kilowatts. 

“Today marks a true milestone for electric aviation, as VoltAero delivers on its promise to take an all-new approach for quiet, efficient and eco-friendly transportation that is based on a hybrid design combining thermal and electric propulsion for maximum flight safety,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and chief technical officer. “I want to thank my VoltAero team for its dedication and tireless work in reaching this historic moment, as well as express my appreciation to our suppliers and partners for their commitment to Cassio.”

VoltAero expects the Cassio 330’s first flight to take place later this year, at which point it will be used to help validate a totally new airframe configuration and the corresponding aerodynamics. The Cassio 330 will be powered by a 4-cylinder Kawaski Motors thermal engine—a derivative of that company’s popular motorcycle engines. French company AKIRA Technologies will lead the integration and validation of Cassio’s hybrid propulsion unit.

Cassio 330 V2

The second version of the Cassio 330 is projected to fly in the second quarter of 2024, and that model will be used for the aircraft’s type certification bid. The follow-on will utilize the completed hybrid propulsion power unit, made by combining a 4-cylinder Kawasaki Motors thermal engine (with a peak power rating of 165 kW) and a Safran ENGINeUS smart electric motor (with a peak power rating of 180 kW).

The next prototype will also feature an avionics suite from Avidyne, bringing together the manufacturer’s Quantum 14-inch displays for single-pilot operations and advanced connectivity. “Based on its agreement with VoltAero, the U.S.-based Avidyne will perform exclusive development in tailoring the avionics for the power management of Cassio’s hybrid propulsion unit,” said VoltAero in a statement.

The models will fly using a combination of sustainable fuels, including biofuel and hydrogen. “Currently, VoltAero’s Cassio S testbed aircraft is performing flight validations of VoltAero’s hybrid power unit with biofuel,” added the company. Cassio aircraft will use aft-mounted electric motors within a hybrid propulsion unit and leverage all-electric power for taxi, takeoff, cruise (for distances less than 150 kilometers), and landing. The internal combustion engine within the hybrid unit will be used to extend the aircraft’s range.

The company plans to assemble the aircraft at a “purpose built” facility at the Rochefort Charente-Maritime Airport (LFDN) in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France.

The post VoltAero Shows Off Cassio 330 Hybrid-Electric Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Following extensive ground testing, a double-decker Airbus A380—the world’s largest airliner—will be used to mature and accelerate development of open fan engines, the company announced Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. Flight test validation is expected to take place at GE Aviation’s Flight Test Operations Center in Victorville, California.

Airbus and CFM—which is jointly owned by GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines—said open fan engines could provide up to a “20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today’s most efficient engines,” using traditional jet-A. CO2 reduction for aircraft burning sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) could be even higher, Airbus said.

“New propulsion technologies will play an important role in achieving aviation’s net-zero objectives, along with new aircraft designs and sustainable energy sources,” said a released statement by Sabine Klauke, Airbus chief technical officer. “By evaluating, maturing, and validating open fan engine architecture using a dedicated flight test demonstrator, we are collaboratively making yet another significant contribution to the advancement of technology bricks that will enable us to reach our industry-wide decarbonization targets.”

How It Works

The engineering behind the open fan concept involves counter-rotating fans and increasing the flow of thrust-producing cooler air through the engine, according to Safran. Eliminating the nacelle exposes the engine to cooler air, making the engine work less to produce thrust. As a result, an open fan engine would allow an aircraft to achieve the same speeds as conventional engines, while decreasing fuel consumption.

Eliminating the engine nacelle would decrease the overall weight of the aircraft—also saving fuel. 

In a nutshell, open fan architecture would allow engineers to increase the size of an engine and the quantity of cooler airflow through it—without increasing the airplane’s weight. 

The basic concept surrounding open fan engines is not new. GE Aviation has designed and tested open fan engines since the 1980s. However, significant technological leaps in advanced manufacturing and materials have brought the idea closer to fruition. 

The announcement comes five months after both companies unveiled a program to use an A380 as a flight test demonstrator for a hydrogen combustion engine that could enter service as soon as 2025. 

• READ MORE: Airbus A380 Planned for Hydrogen Combustion Research

Program Goals

Airbus offered several reasons why it’s moving forward to study and develop open fan architecture, including:

• to learn more about engine/wing integration and the aerodynamic performance of propulsive system efficiency 
• to validate the concept’s promise of better fuel efficiency
• to study the acoustic dynamics surrounding the technology
• to research its compatibility with 100 percent SAF

The post Airbus To Use A380 for Open Fan Engine Research appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A popular search-and-rescue helicopter, the Airbus H225 was powered by two Makila 2 engines using SAF, serving as one of the first major milestones towards achieving the company’s goal to reduce CO2 emissions from its helicopters by 50 percent by 2030.

“This flight with SAF powering the twin engines of the H225 is an important milestone for the helicopter industry. It marks a new stage in our journey to certify the use of 100 percent SAF in our helicopters, a fact that would mean a reduction of up to 90 percent in CO2 emissions alone,” said Stefan Thomé, executive vice president for Airbus Helicopters.

The importance in SAF lies in its ability to drastically reduce CO2 emissions across the entire aviation industry. Even though testing is in full swing, SAF can already be used today as a mixture with conventional jet fuel—without engine modifications.

According to Airbus, all of its commercial aircraft are certified to fly with a 50 percent blend of SAF. The company became the first manufacturer to offer aircraft capable of using a SAF blend in 2016, delivering more than 90 such aircraft since then.

Currently, SAF only makes up 0.1 percent of all aviation fuel production. Airbus predicts that figure will increase dramatically once SAF usage mandates become widespread. 

What is SAF?

SAF comes in many varieties, including biomass-based and eFuel.

Biomass-based SAF is created using renewable raw materials, such as used oil, grease, and municipal waste. EFuel is based on sources such as captured carbon or leftover gasses from industrial processes.

• READ MORE: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Alone Powers Regional Turboprop Test Flight

Outside of the obvious environmental benefits, widespread use of SAF could reduce dependencies on crude oil, allowing aviation fuel to be produced within local supply chains—which would in turn bolster local economies.

Last year, Airbus Helicopters launched the SAF User Group, an entity dedicated to advancing the use of blended SAF kerosene and certifying 100 percent SAF for all Airbus commercial aircraft by the end of the decade.

The post Airbus Completes First Helicopter Flight Powered by SAF appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

GTI, based in Dallas, Texas, has been working with aviation industry powerhouses L3 Technologies, Honeywell and Safran to develop the technology. On Tuesday, the company also announced the hiring of key team members who have been involved in the project and the acquisition of intellectual property from L3 and Honeywell.

How It Works

Companies would install electric motors to drive the landing gear during taxi rather than having the aircraft propelled forward by thrust from the engines. According to a company release, the process uses the auxiliary power unit (APU) generator to power the motors on the landing gear driving the wheels, thus enabling the aircraft to taxi without starting its main engines. 

“The power electronics and system controller provide precise control to the pilot’s over speed and braking during taxi operations,” the release said. “An aircraft equipped with the GTI system will eliminate the need for pushback tractors or tugs, reducing gate and tarmac congestion and improving airline on-time performance.”

Why This Matters

The rising cost of jet fuel combined with the effort to meet the goals of the Clean Aviation movement is pushing the development of electrically powered aircraft taxi technology.

According to GTI, in the U.S, the average taxi time for jet aircraft ranges from 15 to 30 minutes, and taxiing can account for 5 to 12 percent of an aircraft’s fuel consumption, depending on the aircraft type and duration of flight.

“Jet engines have 16 to 38 times the carbon dioxide output at idle than at takeoff thrust and the GTI system reduces these taxi emissions by 85 percent,” Green Taxi president and founder David Valaer said. “The GTI system will be well received by airlines and passengers in these CO sensitive times. The GTI system provides at least a 70 percent return on investment in total operator savings. 

“Green Taxi-equipped jetliners will save significant costs on reduced ground time apart from the fuel savings. Other benefits include extended engine life, enhanced ground crew safety, and reduced noise at the airport.”

ETS is being directed toward newer short- and medium-haul aircraft, and will be retrofittable to legacy aircraft already in use. GTI notes they are pursuing discussions with several major airlines who are interested in adding this technology to their fleets.

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