Power on for first Lilium Jet
October 1, 2024
German regional air mobility pioneer Lilium has celebrated the inaugural systems power-on of its Lilium Jet, conducted on the first in-production unit, MSN 1.
“Power-on is an important quality gate in the production process of any commercial aircraft,” explained Lilium chief technical officer Stephen Vellacott. “When it comes to aircraft production, process control, repeatability, traceability, and above all safety is paramount. Achieving this first power-on milestone demonstrates that we’re on track”.
The first of two Lilium Jets currently on the company’s final assembly line, MSN 1 is set to become Lilium’s lab test aircraft or ‘ironbird’; a “fully functional aircraft and key asset for the certification programme, being used to prove safety of flight and compliance with airworthiness requirements”.
The work to be conducted by MSN1 will build on Lilium’s successfully completion of the first phase of electrical integration testing at the company’s dedicated electrical power system lab, located on the outskirts of Munich.
Here, a test rig designed to “replicate the aircraft’s powertrain in a controlled test environment” uses customised software to run tests and gather data in real time, whilst also allowing simulated failures to be safely analysed. . To date, several core electrical functionalities have been performed using this asset: including high voltage distribution, low voltage conversion and distribution, health reporting, and charging systems.
Although the first model will be used exclusively for ground testing, the second unit currently in final assembly, MSN 2, is the first aircraft Lilium intends to fly with a pilot on board in “early 2025”. A third fuselage is also currently under construction, with Lilium intending to build ad fly a fleet of six test aircraft throughout the flight test campaign before the type’s entry into service in 2026.
