Hybrid aircraft makes historic flight across Utah

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has launched its uFLY initiative with the first demonstration flight of a hybrid-electric aircraft in Utah. Ampaire’s EEL hybrid aircraft traveled between Salt Lake City International Airport and Cedar City Regional Airport.

uFLY is a public-private partnership led by UDOT that brings together five western states, private firms and research institutions. The program is designed to provide a real-world proving ground to test and evaluate emerging aviation technologies.

The FAA selected UDOT to lead one of eight partnerships nationwide for the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a three-year initiative designed to help safely integrate advanced aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS).

Ampaire’s hybrid propulsion system, which combines electric and fossil-fuel power, is designed to maintain the range, reliability and operational flexibility needed for regional aviation. Ampaire’s aircraft use battery technology developed by Utah-based EP Systems. The company’s aircraft have flown more than 35,000 miles.

Today’s flight is the first of several demonstrations planned through the uFLY program. In the coming months, UDOT and its partners will continue to publicly demonstrate electrified aviation technologies through real-world operations across Utah.

“This mission demonstrates why hybrid-electric aviation is practical for regional operations today,” said Kevin Noertker, co-founder and CEO of Ampaire. “Our hybrids operate across meaningful distances, varied terrain and existing airports without waiting for new infrastructure. The propulsion system changes; the regional aviation system does not have to.”

Source: UDOT