https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/hybrid-electric-utility-aircraft-gathers-support/

Hybrid-Electric Utility Aircraft Gathers Support

Russ Niles
December 20, 20202

A British startup has attracted some heavyweights in the electric
aircraft business to create a hybrid-electric utility aircraft that
can fill a variety of roles. Faradair Aerospace founder Neil Cloughley
says Honeywell, magniX, Cambridge Consultants and Nova Systems have
signed on to help develop his Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft (BEHA).
“Their input will enable us to deliver the BEHA prototype by 2024 and subsequent Part 23 certification for operational trials from 2026,”
said Cloughley. “Gaining such support validates our business model and capability of the BEHA.”

Cloughley said the first iteration of the aircraft is built around
Honeywell’s turbine hybrid electric system, which will run on biofuel. Eventually the plan is for a pure electric aircraft as that technology progresses. Faradair is going to keep the first 300 production
aircraft for itself as what it calls the “largest proof-of-concept air
mobility program ever created.” It will configure half the aircraft
for aerial firefighting and 75 as quick-change models that can
alternate between 18-passenger regional airliners and cargo aircraft.
There will be 50 pure cargo models and 25 to be used as demos for
government roles from light transport to fisheries patrols. ---------------------------------------------------

https://www.faradair.com

Faradair is developing a hybrid-electric aircraft concept that solves
three core problems hindering regional flight growth:

Noise
Operation Costs
Emissions

With a clean-sheet design aircraft specifically configured for
hybrid-electric flight, BEHA aims to achieve significant reductions in
these areas whilst delivering an economically viable regional air
transport solution.

A multi-role asset, BEHA converts from an 18 passenger configuration
to cargo in just 15 minutes. Accommodating three LD3 cargo containers
and payloads of up to 5 tons, BEHA is an environment-neutral
workhorse, maximizing revenue opportunity 24/7.

Hybrid-electric flight provides a cost-effective distributed aviation
model, enabling local airfields the ability to offer scheduled and
charter flight services to regional towns and cities at a price-point
unmatched through traditional major airport hubs.

Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft

BEHA M1H
Wingspan 57 ft
Length 48 ft 2 in
Height 14 ft 10 in

https://c6eafbb2-fa56-452e-a7f7-c48fab0d3a9f.filesusr.com/ugd/3934a0_6cbcfaebf0a647b7895e1eabfe8e9fa4.pdf




Press Release
17 December, 2020
UK aerospace boost as Faradair® Aerospace signs new partner consortium
• Pledges 300 British-designed, sustainable aircraft by 2030
• Honeywell, magniX, Cambridge Consultants, Nova Systems back the
BEHA
In an exciting week for the aviation industry with Jeff Bezos and Bill
Gates showing
their support for sustainable aviation, Faradair® Aerospace is
delighted to reveal a
powerful consortium of partners to bring back large scale aircraft
production to the
UK.
The British start-up, headed by aviation entrepreneur Neil Cloughley
and based at the
historic airfield at IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire, announced today (17
December)
that it has attracted a strong consortium of partners to help it
deliver 300 of its new
Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft (BEHA) by 2030, in a global demonstration
of regional air
mobility and special missions.
Faradair® is delighted to welcome Honeywell, magniX, Cambridge
Consultants
and Nova Systems, all leaders in the emerging sustainable aviation
sector, to its
existing partnership team.
Faradair® will work with Honeywell on the BEHA turbogenerator,
comprised of
Honeywell’s gas turbine and generator technologies, with the ability
to run on
sustainable aviation fuel, to support the hybrid-electric aircraft
design in addition to
other technologies, including avionics and flight control systems.
magniX is regarded as the leading provider of electric motors to the
aviation industry
and the BEHA will use two magni500 e-motors and associated magniDrive
control
system technology for flight propulsion.
Cambridge Consultants, widely recognised as a global leader in R&D
engineering,
brings its vital expertise in hybrid propulsion architecture to the
development of the
BEHA’s hybrid propulsion system, integrating the turbine and flight
e-motors.
Nova Systems, a global leader in aircraft design, test, evaluation and certification,
will assist Faradair® through the early prototype development stages, reassuring
certification authorities that the aircraft is being developed and
built to the standards
of existing and future regulations for sustainable aviation
technologies.
In line with UK Government ambitions for sustainable air transport,
the British
designed and built BEHA will emerge in hybrid electric/turbine
configuration, but
engineered for evolution into a fully electric ‘net zero’ commercial
aircraft when power
generation technology delivers the power density levels required for
an 18-seat utility
aircraft. The BEHA is specifically designed for low cost, quiet, environmentally friendly
flight, qualities that enable it to deliver Air Mobility as a Service
(AMaaS) to all.
The ambition is to deliver an initial portfolio of 300 Faradair®-owned
BEHAs between
2026-2030, in the largest proof of concept air mobility programme ever
created. Of
these, 150 aircraft will be built in firefighting configuration, 75 as
quick change (QC,
passenger to cargo) aircraft, deployed at general aviation airfields
globally, and 50 as
pure freighters. The final 25 aircraft will be demonstrated in
non-civilian government
roles, including logistics, border and fisheries patrol, and drug
interdiction.
Commenting on these significant partnerships, Faradair Founder and
Managing
Director Neil Cloughley stated: “The year 2020 has been an extremely
tough year for
aerospace and I am delighted to be able to share this positive news
today, not only
for the UK aerospace sector, but the sustainable aerospace sector
globally.
“We are honoured to announce our collaboration with these leading organisations.
Their input will enable us to deliver the BEHA prototype by 2024 and
subsequent Part
23 certification for operational trials from 2026. Gaining such
support validates our
business model and capability of the BEHA.”
Stéphane Fymat, vice president and general manager for UAS/UAM at
Honeywell
said: “We are proud be part of this development program that works
toward new
methods of transportation that are quieter, cleaner and more
efficient. Our work with
Faradair demonstrates our ongoing commitment to supporting the future
of flight.”
magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski, commented: “The BEHA is an exciting
development
programme in the electric aviation revolution and one that magniX is
delighted to be a
part of. It embodies the next step in sustainable regional air
transport.”
Gary Kemp, Programme Director at Cambridge Consultants said:
“Cambridge
Consultants is proud to be working with Faradair® on development of
the BEHA, an
aircraft that will minimise the environmental impact of aviation
emissions and noise
while achieving exceptional range, endurance and payload capacity.”
Tim Butler, Fixed Wing Programme Manager and test pilot at Nova
Systems, stated:
“We are delighted to team with Faradair® on this exciting, innovative
British project.
Nova looks forward to providing its significant experience in flight
testing to help solve
the complex problems of making a cutting-edge concept into an everyday
reality.
Working on game-changing programmes and developing green aviation
technology,
is exactly what excites us at Nova and we can’t wait to get the BEHA
flying.”
Talks are now advancing at pace with investors and aircraft finance organisations to
enable the full programme of development to scale up and meet the
target objectives.
Meanwhile, Faradair® is building its executive and engineering team,
and expects to
make further announcements early in 2021.
“We will have more exciting news to share in the New Year, but the age
of the Electric
Jet has begun,” added Neil Cloughley, who moved Faradair® HQ from Gloucestershire to the renowned technology innovation area of
Cambridgeshire in
September.
High resolution images available on request
To find out more visit www.faradair.com
Faradair can also be found at: www.facebook.com/Faradair
Twitter @Faradair
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/faradair-aerospace
Website: www.faradair.com
Email - info@faradair.com
Tel - +44 1285 700811
For more media information and interview requests please contact
Emerald Media
Alison Chambers / Liz Danner
Tel +44 (0) 1420 560094
Mobile; +44 (0) 7721 882939
E: alison.chambers@emeraldmedia.co.uk / liz.danner@emeraldmedia.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------

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