The UK-based test campaign successfully completed ten flight tests of the refitted aircraft. The installed prototype ZA600 hydrogen electric motor reaches the highest performance threshold, paving the way for successful certification.
10 flights on the Do-228 hybrid prototype
ZeroAvia announced on July 19, 2023 the completion of the flight test campaign of its initial ZA600 prototype at Cotswold Airport in the United Kingdom. The tenth flight of the initial series was completed last week. This was a cruising test aimed at establishing projections on the future autonomy of the system, which makes it possible to consider the first transnational flights as the next stage of testing and demonstration.
5,000 feet and 23 min endurance flight
Over the past six months, ZeroAvia has successively tested different performance areas following the system’s first global flight in January. During this campaign, the aircraft flew at 5,000 feet (1,500 m), completed a 23-minute endurance test, operated in a wide range of temperatures from just above zero to near of 30°C, and reached the maximum speed authorized by the flight authorization issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Fuel cell
It is essential to note that in all phases of the tests, the fuel cell power generation system and the electric propulsion system, which are the main components of the new zero-emission engine, performed as expected, see more. The hydrogen electric motor matched the power of the conventional fossil-fuel engine on the opposite wing, and pilots were able to fly with thrust generated only by the experimental clean propulsion system in some tests. ZeroAvia’s Dornier 228 flight test program is part of the HyFlyer II project, partly funded by the UK government through the Aerospace Technology Institute, in conjunction with Innovate UK and the Department for Business and Trade.
