Take-off
For sale: last airworthy Soviet MiG-17PF fighter
First flight for allelectric Caravan The largest all-electric commercial aircraft yet had its maiden flight at the end of May. A Cessna Grand Caravan 208B fitted with a 750hp MagniX electric propulsion system made a 30 minute flight from the AeroTEC Flight Test Center at Moses Lake, Washington. MagniX worked with leading aerospace testing and engineering company AeroTec to install the Magni500 system into the Caravan. At a continuous 560kw/750shp and turning at only 1900rpm, the Magni500 is being marketed as a propulsion system for retrofitting existing commercial aircraft such as the Beaver, Cessna Caravan, Beech King Air, Twin Otter and more. Key points of the Magni500: ■ Weight 135kg ■ Full torque of 2,814Nm/2,975lbft available from low rpm and not impacted by altitude ■ Direct drive to propeller – no reduction gearbox ■ Advanced liquid cooling and thermal performance ■ Integrates with off-the-shelf propeller governors for variable pitch control. “The iconic Caravan has been a workhorse of industry moving people and transporting goods on short routes for decades,” said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of MagniX. “This first flight of the eCaravan is yet another step on the road to operating these middle-mile aircraft at a fraction of the cost, with zero emissions, from and to smaller airports. These electric commercial aircraft will enable the offering of flying services of people and packages in a way previously not possible.” MagniX is also working with Harbour Air of Vancouver to electrify its fleet. Last December they successfully flew a de Havilland Beaver floatplane fitted with the Magni500 motor.
Main First flight for the MagniX all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan – the largest commercial aircraft to fly with electric propulsion
Jon Blanchette, the owner of the world’s only airworthy MiG-17PF jet fighter, has put his one-of-a-kind aircraft up for sale. A former General Motors engineer and U.S. Navy officer, Blanchette rescued the single-engine, swept-wing jet fighter from a scrapyard in Poland in 1993. After 15 years of careful restoration, Blanchette let the MiG-17PF loose on the US airshow circuit capable of performing a full aerobatic routine, including inverted flight and tight 8G turns. Developed in the early 1950s, the MiG-17 became an important part of the Soviet Air Force. The PF variant of the MiG-17 was equipped with a search and a tracking radar. It remained in service until replaced by the MiG 21-13 in the early 1960s. Blanchette’s aircraft (1D-0620) was produced in December 1960 and served in the Polish Air Force until 1966. After being decommissioned, it served as a training platform for Polish aircraft mechanics until 1993. “It has been the biggest passion project of my life,” said Blanchette. “I am incredibly proud of what I was able to accomplish with this aircraft, and I hope that it will bring the same amount of joy and fulfilment to its next owner.” Potential buyers should contact Vlad Drazdovich at vlad@redbanyan.com for more information. Video here.
eVTOLs step closer
Bids invited
Europe is moving closer to the
The Government-funded UK Research
introduction of electric Vertical
and Innovation initiative has launched a
Takeoff and Landing aircraft known
competition to revolutionise the way we
as eVTOLs. EASA has published
fly with a fund of £30m available. Bids
proposed methods on how to
are invited to develop new types of
certify hybrid or electric air taxis
electric and/or autonomous air vehicles
and opened a consultation until 19
such as the Vertical Aerospace Seraph,
June. More here
right. More here
10 | FLYER | Summer 2020