Heart Aerospace has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category (SAC-EC) for its X1 demonstrator aircraft. The certificate authorizes Heart to commence flight testing of the X1 immediately.
“The FAA issued the certificate following an inspection of the aircraft at Heart’s X1 flight-test base at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York, where the demonstrator is undergoing final preparations for its first flight,” said Heart in a press release. “As part of its review, the agency evaluated the aircraft, supporting technical documentation, and Heart’s proposed flight-test operations. The certificate marks the culmination of more than a year of collaboration between Heart Aerospace and the FAA. Receipt of the SAC-EC follows Heart’s extensive X1 ground testing program, which included structural, propulsion, systems, and low- and high-speed taxi tests. Together, these activities demonstrated the aircraft’s readiness to proceed to piloted flight testing.
“Earning FAA flight authorization brings the X1 program to the threshold of first flight,” said Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. “This achievement reflects the rigor of the work completed by Heart’s engineering and flight-test teams, as well as the close working relationship we have built with the FAA. With our certificate now in hand, our full focus is on flight. We are ready to get X1 in the air.”
With a wingspan of 106 feet, a fuselage length of 76 feet, and a takeoff weight of more than 25,000 pounds, X1 is expected to be the largest electric aircraft ever flown, said the company. Developed as a full-scale demonstrator for Heart’s ES-30 production aircraft, a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner, X1 will validate flight characteristics, demonstrate key technologies, and generate operational data and insights to support the ES-30’s continued development.
For more information
https://www.heartaerospace.com/newsroom/faa-issues-heart-aerospace-special-airworthiness-certificate-for-x1-demonstrator-aircraft
(Image Heart Aerospace)