https://www.flyingmag.com/zeroavia-tests-dornier-228-with-hydrogen-electric-engine/
ZeroAvia Tests Dornier 228 with Hydrogen-Electric Engine
The test flight is a step forward towards hydrogen-powered commercial
flights, ZeroAvia said.

By Kimberly Johnson
January 19, 2023

[image]
ZeroAvia Tests Dornier 228 with Hydrogen-Electric Engine
ZeroAvia's first flight of a 19-seat Dornier 228 retrofitted with ZeroAvia's
ZA-600 hydrogen-electric engine. [Courtesy: ZeroAvia]

A 19-seat Dornier 228 soared over Cotswold Airport (GBA) in Gloucestershire,
UK for 10 minutes Thursday, and in doing so became the largest aircraft to
be powered by a hydrogen-electric engine, according to hydrogen-electric
aircraft manufacturer ZeroAvia.

The test flight of the Dornier 228 retrofitted with ZeroAvia’s ZA-600
hydrogen-electric engine is a cornerstone of the HyFlyer II development
program that aims to develop a 600kW powertrain that’s able to support
zero-emission flight of aircraft with up to 19 seats. The development
project is partially funded by the UK Government’s Aerospace Technology
Institute’s (ATI) program.

“This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation
industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight
is only a few years away,” Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, said
in a statement.

READ MORE: ZeroAvia, AGS Airports Enter Hydrogen Fuel Partnership
The aircraft’s left wing was retrofitted with the ZA-600 engine, which
operated in tandem with a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right
wing.
https://www.flyingmag.com/zeroavia-ags-airport-enter-hydrogen-fuel-partnership/

“In this testing configuration, the hydrogen-electric powertrain comprises
two fuel cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs providing peak power
support during take-off and adding additional redundancy for safe testing.
In this testbed configuration, hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation
systems were housed inside the cabin,” ZeroAvia added in the statement. “In
a commercial configuration, external storage would be used and the seats
restored.”

READ MORE: ZeroAvia Acquires Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Developer HyPoint
The flight, according to the company, was a success.
https://www.flyingmag.com/zeroavia-acquires-hydrogen-fuel-cell-developer-hypoint/

“All systems performed as expected,” ZeroAvia said. “This is the largest
ZeroAvia engine tested to date, and places the company on the direct path to
a certifiable configuration to be finalized and submitted for certification
in 2023, with this program also serving as key to unlocking speedy
technology development for larger aircraft.”

The January 19 test flight is the latest in a string of recent advancements
https://www.flyingmag.com/zeroavia-and-textron-to-build-hydrogen-electric-engine-for-cessna-grand-caravan/
for the U.K.-based company.

In November, ZeroAvia and AGS Airports announced an agreement to explore the
development of infrastructure that will allow hydrogen fuel for aircraft
https://www.flyingmag.com/zeroavia-ags-airport-enter-hydrogen-fuel-partnership/
traveling between Aberdeen and Glasgow airports in Scotland.
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https://aviationsourcenews.com/manufacturer/zeroavia-flies-largest-aircraft-powered-by-hydrogen-electric-engine/

ZeroAvia flies largest aircraft powered by hydrogen-electric engine
AviationSource News
20/01/2023
2:55 pm
Manufacturer
LONDON – Zero-emission flight took a giant step forward today with ZeroAvia
flying the largest aircraft in the world to be powered by a
hydrogen-electric engine.

The leader in zero-emission aviation took to the skies for the maiden flight
of its 19-seat Dornier 228 testbed aircraft, retrofitted with a full-size
prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain on the left wing of the aircraft.

Maiden flight in Gloucestershire
The flight took place from the company’s R&D facility at Cotswold Airport in
Gloucestershire, UK, and lasted 10 minutes. At 13.35 pm GMT this afternoon
the aircraft completed taxi, take-off, a full pattern circuit, and landing.

The landmark flight forms part of the HyFlyer II project, a major R&D
programme backed by the UK Government’s flagship ATI Programme, which
targets development of a 600kW powertrain to support 9-19 seat aircraft
worldwide with zero-emission flight.

The twin-engine aircraft was retrofitted to incorporate ZeroAvia’s
hydrogen-electric engine on its left wing, which then operated alongside a
single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right.

In this testing configuration, the hydrogen-electric powertrain comprises
two fuel cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs providing peak power
support during take-off and adding additional redundancy for safe testing.

In this testbed configuration, hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation
systems were housed inside the cabin. In a commercial configuration,
external storage would be used and the seats restored.

All systems performed as expected. This is the largest ZeroAvia engine
tested to date, and places the company on the direct path to a certifiable
configuration to be finalized and submitted for certification in 2023, with
this programme also serving as key to unlocking speedy technology
development for larger aircraft.

ZeroAvia’s 2-5 MW powertrain programme, already underway, will scale the
clean engine technology for up to 90-seat aircraft, with further expansion
into narrowbody aircraft demonstrators over the next decade.

Of note, this flight test campaign is being conducted under a full Part 21
flight permit with the UK CAA, which is a much more stringent set of
requirements compared to the E-Conditions framework ZeroAvia used for its
6-seat prototype test flights in the prior years.

This signifies the maturity of the company’s processes and design approaches
and its readiness to proceed towards full commercial certification of its
powerplants.

ZeroAvia will now work towards its certifiable configuration in order to
deliver commercial routes using the technology by 2025.

The Dornier 228 will conduct a series of test flights from Kemble and later
demonstration flights from other airports. Almost exactly two years ago,
ZeroAvia conducted the first of more than 30 flights of a six-seat Piper
Malibu aircraft using a 250kW hydrogen-electric powertrain.

Celebrating this remarkable progress, Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO of
ZeroAvia said: “This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the
aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial
flight is only a few years away.”

“The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our
technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion.
This is only the beginning – we are building the future of sustainable, zero
climate impact aviation.”

“Our approach is the best solution to accelerate clean aviation at scale.
Congratulations to everyone on our team and all of our partners and
stakeholders for the collective effort that brought us to this monumental
day in history.”

Previous prototype flights
This latest achievement follows ZeroAvia’s previous world-first milestones,
starting with 6-seat prototype flights of a Piper M-Class airframe in 2019,
and the world’s first commercial-scale 6-seater hydrogen-electric powered
flight in September 2020.

The 2020 prototype was a part of the HyFlyer I programme in the UK. Unlike
the previous tech demonstrator programme, ZeroAvia’s 600kW engine being
developed under HyFlyer II is a commercial-intent programme.

Today’s historic first flight follows significant commercial momentum for
ZeroAvia in recent months, including an engine order from American Airlines.

The company also has a partnership agreement with OEM Textron Aviation and
infrastructure partnerships with airports including Rotterdam, Edmonton
International and AGS Airports.
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