ZeroAvia wins CAA nod for new hydrogen-electric test flights

Global hydrogen-electric aircraft developer ZeroAvia has received an approval from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to conduct a test flight of its Dornier 228 aircraft. ZeroAvia has retrofitted the airplane with its hydrogen-electric powertrain prototype. The firm obtained the CAA clearance after carrying out a ground testing drive and an evaluation of the full development programme under the supervision of the regulator. With the Part 21 approval in place, ZeroAvia will start the first round of test flights of its 600kw hydrogen-electric powertrain. The twin-engine aircraft, which features 19 seats, has been retrofitted in an engineering testbed configuration to include ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine to drive the left wing’s propellor. It has also been designed to operate along with a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right for a safe trial of the new propulsion technology. ZeroAvia plans to begin the test flights in January next year. Once completed, the test will be a major achievement for ZeroAvia and the HyFlyer II project, a research and development (R&D) project supported by the government of the UK’s ATI Programme, noted ZeroAvia. The ATI Programme aims to build a 600kw hydrogen-electric powertrain for aircraft with capacity to carry nine to 19 people.<br/>