Heart Aerospace demonstrator to make first flight in Plattsburgh, New York
November 26, 2024
Heart Aerospace has selected New York’s Plattsburgh International Airport as the location for the inaugural flight of its all-electric Heart-X1 demonstrator, which the company has previously indicated is scheduled to happen in the second quarter of 2025.
Having unveiled its full-scale demonstrator in September 2024, Heart Aerospace had also announced its intention to fly the 32m-wingspan craft next year, with the selection of the location taking it one step forward to making its electric aspirations a reality. With Plattsburg International Airport chosen for what Heart lists as “expansive airfield infrastructure, low air traffic density, and strong community support for transportation technology initiatives,” the aircraft will be transported to the site “in early 2025”.
The H-X1 is currently based at Heart’s Gothenburg, Sweden headquarters (where it was constructed) and is undergoing “extensive tests of critical systems” in preparation for the inaugural all-electric flight in Plattsburgh. Heart Aerospace co-founder and CEO Ander Forslund had previously expressed that it is “a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of [Heart’s] team that [it is] able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely inhouse, in less than two years”.
A second pre-production model of the regional concept, the HX-2, is expected to further mature the company’s design and production methods – with a hybrid-electric first flight expected in 2026.
However, with the initial flight campaign of the HX-1 expected to validate the capabilities of Heart’s electric propulsion technology, this “critical milestone” will further shape the ongoing development of Heart’s 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner. The ES-30 – which is aiming to deliver all-electric and extended hybrid ranges of 200km and 400km respectively – is targeting certification is expected by the end of the decade.
“Electric commercial airplanes have the potential to lower operating costs for US airlines, creating a powerful opportunity to re-establish regional air routes,” concluded Forslund. “We’re impressed by the leadership shown by New York’s North Country region in the support of the next generation airplanes”.
