Testing for electric airplane power coming to Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Flying an airplane that is electric-powered may be closer than you realize. Testing and research are being done in Wichita.
The National Institute for Aviation Research, NIAR, announced the plan for testing on Monday.
“Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) is adding a new capability to its portfolio aimed at growing the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) market and attracting new business to the region and state,” said leaders at Wichita State University.
Textron has a division called eAviation. The company is working on sustainable aviation solutions, and Textron eAviation leaders say they are anticipating the use of NIAR’s test facility when it is ready to go.
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“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with NIAR on the development of this test facility, as its design will allow us to simulate key aspects of the flight environment for our Nexus eVTOL,” said Kriya Shortt, president and CEO of Textron eAviation. “With the build of our first full-scale technology demonstrator underway and anticipated first flight for the Nexus in 2025, this hover ramp will support an important program milestone on our path to certification.”
Some aviation analysts say we are still a long way from commercial jets moving people across the country on electric power instead of jet fuel. But the tech is certainly on the way.
“The first applications that I see are like, training aircraft which have very defined missions,” said Teal aviation senior analyst Bruce McClelland. “Where you take off and land for the most part at the same airport. So you fly around for a couple of hours, maybe an hour, then recharge. And then electric airplanes do have some promise.”
McClelland says jobs will remain in Wichita regardless of the power source to make planes fly in future years.
“It really doesn’t matter what the propulsion source is, you still have to build structures and fuselages and that sort of thing. The whole point of an airplane is to move people from point A to point. Or cargo,” said McClelland. “And you need a vehicle to do that, and it needs to be built. It’s going to build in largely the same way that a fossil fuel plane is going to be built.”
Textron is looking at multiple applications for its eAviation.
“Textron eAviation’s Nexus electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is being designed to serve a range of purposes, including passenger transport, cargo and emergency medical services markets.”
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