Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 12

COVER STORY

The machinery itself, once
built, is fairly simple - only one
moving part in the entire motor.
MAGNIX

from Eviation is a nine-passenger, sleek, all-electric commuter aircraft that made its debut at the 2019 Paris Air Show.
"Everybody needs to keep in mind that right now, aviation only
accounts for about 2% of the greenhouse gases," Wolf mentioned. "I
think airplanes are visible because we're flying over, and people see
them all the time, but it is a relatively small percent of the carbon
footprint that humanity is creating right now. I think we also have
to make sure we're looking at the other 98% at the same time."
Out of the more than 10,000 FAA-approved airports in the United
States, airlines only use about 600 of them, says Roei Ganzarski,
CEO magniX, an electric motor manufacturer for electric aircraft.
"Why?" he questioned. "Because the rest are too small to fill
the big planes airlines make money with." Ganzarski says electric
airplanes will be 40%-70% lower in cost to operate per flight hour.
That means operators will be able to fly more planes into smaller
airports closer to your home or destination. Which means less
crowded airports, less waiting, less hassle. A shorter and more
convenient door-to-door experience. And it will all be done with
no harmful CO2 emissions. "We believe that 15 years from now,
all flights less than a thousand miles in range, will be completely
electric," explained Ganzarski.
Last December, magniX launched the successful flight of the
world's first commercial electric airplane with Harbour Air, North
America's largest seaplane airline. Additionally, over the past few
months, the company has been magnifying a Cessna Grand Caravan
(208B) with its partners at AeroTEC and expect to start flying that
aircraft shortly (depending on progress with the COVID-19 situation). magniX is also what powers up Eviation's Alice.

JUNE/JULY 2020

Bye Aerospace is focusing on the pilot training market with its
two-seat all-electric eFlyer 2. Several notable flight schools across
the globe are on its customer list with paid customer deposits. The
four-seat all-electric eFlyer 4 is targeted for the air taxi market, and
the customer list with paid deposits continues to grow, as well. Bye
Aerospace currently has more than 300 paid purchase deposits for
eFlyer 2s and eFlyer 4s.
"One of my most memorable experiences was in 2005, when I got
to ride in an early prototype of a Tesla roadster," explained George E.
Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace. "Once the test driver pushed his foot down
on the accelerator, I was instantaneously propelled back in my seat,
thinking, 'This feels like I'm back flying a jet. We have got to apply
electric propulsion to aviation.' In 2007, I launched Bye Aerospace,
convinced the time had finally come for the general aviation industry
to seriously consider and begin to incorporate the benefits of clean,
electric propulsion and a more-efficient aircraft design."

Save the Planet, Save a Buck
Lower noise levels, reduced emissions, decreased dependence on fossil
fuels, improved performance and reduced operating costs are some of
the biggest advantages of electric propulsion aircraft - all of which are
attractive features for aviation businesses and for our planet. Going
electric doesn't only save the planet, but it can save a buck, too.
As for Bye Aerospace's eFlyer, the company projects the plane will
eliminate millions of tons of CO2 every year as older, conventional
airplanes are replaced. Additionally, soon after launching the eFlyer
project, scientists from the U.S. National Park Service conducted
noise testing with Bye Aerospace's all-electric demonstrator aircraft.

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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