Staff/Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

First test flight of largest all-electric aircraft used just $5 of electricity. Airline-backed venture aims to develop a hybrid-electric commercial aircraft. Heart Aerospace's X1 demonstrator is an all-electric aircraft. Its test flights will inform development of a hybrid-electric airliner. The first flight of the largest battery-electric aircraft to take to the skies lasted nearly half an hour while costing just $5 of electricity. That aviation feat comes at a time when jet fuel prices have skyrocketed because of the US war with Iran. The test flight of Heart Aerospace's X1 demonstrator aircraft took place at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on August 12. The X1 aircraft is comparable in size to a small regional airliner and can achieve a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 25,000 pounds with the help of four wing-mounted electric motors. The battery-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power during the maiden flight. ADVERTISING All-electric aircraft can offer quieter and cleaner flight without the emissions that come from burning jet fuel. They may also prove more reliably cost-effective than conventional aircraft that come with jet fuel costs subject to geopolitical disruptions. But the initial success of the X1 demonstrator does not mean Heart Aerospace is planning to commercialize an all-electric aircraft. Current battery-electric systems can only typically sustain short flights of about 100 to 200 miles, which is why they have been limited to air taxi operations by companies such as Joby and Archer. Instead, testing of the X1 and a planned follow-on X2 aircraft will shape development of Heart Aerospace's main offering to the airline industry - a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner known as the ES-30. That planned production aircraft for commercial flights would combine two inboard electric motors with commercial turboprop engines that run on jet fuel, enabling 125 miles of all-electric flight and 500 miles of flight range when operating in hybrid mode. Looking to innovation as jet fuel prices rise. Having the extended 500-mile range would enable the ES-30 hybrid-electric airliner to operate in popular short-haul corridors that connect major US and European cities. United Airlines has committed to eventually purchasing 100 aircraft from Heart Aerospace, with other major airline customers also having signed letters of intent, according to Flying magazine. Multiple airlines have also invested in Heart Aerospace's development of the ES-30 aircraft, including United Airlines, Air Canada and Mesa Air Group. Several issued statements celebrating the latest milestone. "Electric commercial aircraft have real potential to deliver a better travel experience for passengers while strengthening our business, and we look forward to Heart's continued development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in United's network," Michael Leskinen, chief financial officer of United Airlines, said in a press release. After starting out as a Swedish company, Heart Aerospace relocated to Los Angeles where it is developing the first pre-production ES-30 at a manufacturing facility. It anticipates flight testing starting in 2028 and aims to get certified for starting commercial service by 2031. Hybrid-electric aircraft may look even more promising at a time when jet fuel prices have soared around the world because of the US-Israeli war against Iran leading to major disruptions in Gulf energy exports typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States, jet fuel prices have increased from just over $2 per gallon before the start of the war in February 2022 to well over $3 per gallon. The global airline industry is expected to spend $350 billion on buying jet fuel in 2026 because of average jet fuel prices being up by almost 70 percent compared to the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association. The increased spending on jet fuel now accounts for nearly a third of airlines' operating costs and is expected to halve profits. Heart Aerospace is claiming that the hybrid-electric ES-30 could reduce airline costs of operating regional aircraft by more than 40 percent. If the production aircraft can deliver on that promise, it may prove one of the wiser investments that airlines have made in recent years. Jeremy Hsu is a reporter exploring a wide range of topics across deep tech and AI. He has previously written for New Scientist, Scientific American, IEEE Spectrum, Wired, Undark Magazine and MIT Tech Review, among many other publications, about topics such as deepfakes, data centers, drones, battery tech, robotics, and GPS jamming. He also has a Master of Arts in Journalism from NYU, and a bachelor's degree from University of Pennsylvania in History and Sociology of Science, with a minor in English.

Heart Aerospace completes first flight of 'world's largest electric aircraft' Estimated reading time 6 minutes, 10 seconds. Heart Aerospace has announced the successful first flight of the company's X1 demonstrator aircraft. Spanning 106 feet, measuring 76 feet nose to tail, and weighing more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff, X1 is said to be the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown. The flight took place on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at Heart's X1 flight-test base at Plattsburgh International Airport, a regional commercial airport serving a community of 20,000 people in upstate New York. The piloted mission lasted 27 minutes, during which X1 reached an altitude of 1,100 feet AGL and its all-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power. The flight was conducted under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category (SAC-EC), with a test profile that included taxi, takeoff, climb, maneuvering, and landing. The mission was designed to demonstrate all-electric flight at a scale relevant to commercial airline operations. Powered entirely by batteries, X1 used approximately $5 worth of electricity during its first flight. The flight came amid a sustained surge in global jet fuel prices, which averaged $3.50 per gallon for the week ending Aug. 7, up 63 percent year over year, highlighting the potential for electric propulsion to deliver structurally lower aircraft operating costs while decoupling airlines from the volatility of global oil markets. "With the first flight of X1, Heart Aerospace has demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner," said Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. "Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally reshape airline economics and, ultimately, lower the cost of air travel for passengers. This is at the heart of our vision for abundant air travel, with electrification enabling more affordable, frequent, and cleaner air service to and from airports closer to home." X1 is a full-scale demonstrator representative of Heart's ES-30 production aircraft, designed to validate key technologies, aerodynamics and flight performance, and Heart's organizational capabilities. The ES-30 is a conventional fixed-wing, 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner being developed for FAA Part 25 certification. It has attracted customer commitments from major air carriers including United Airlines, Air Canada, and JSX. "The first flight of X1 is a major technical achievement for Heart Aerospace, a company United has been proud to support," said Michael Leskinen, chief financial officer of United Airlines. "Electric commercial aircraft have real potential to deliver a better travel experience for passengers while strengthening our business, and we look forward to Heart's continued development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in United's network." "The energy transition for aviation will require a range of solutions, from operational efficiencies to sustainable aviation fuels, and ultimately the development of new aircraft technologies," said John Di Bert, executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Air Canada. "Our investment in Heart Aerospace and the ES-30 reflects Air Canada's commitment to supporting innovative technologies that have the potential to transform aviation. X1's first flight is an important milestone in that journey, and we look forward to continuing to work with Heart Aerospace as the ES-30 program progresses and plays its part in the future of regional aviation." With entry into service targeted for 2031, Heart expects the ES-30 to reduce aircraft operating costs by more than 40 percent compared with legacy regional aircraft. This reduction is driven by lower energy costs, reduced maintenance requirements from simplified electric propulsion and electrified flight systems, and greater aircraft uptime and reliability enabled by an integrated electronics and software architecture. Heart foresees this cost advantage widening over time through advances in battery technology, technology-enabled gains in crew efficiency, and the ES-30's low exposure to a growing range of emissions-related aviation taxes and fees worldwide. "Through the X1 program, Heart has built the capability to design, build, test, operate, and continuously improve a clean-sheet electric commercial aircraft," said Ben Stabler, chief technology officer. "We are carrying that full-stack capability directly into the ES-30, our first production aircraft and the foundation of a broader technology platform for electric airliners." Heart is currently developing the first pre-production ES-30 at its pilot manufacturing plant in Los Angeles, with flight testing scheduled to begin in 2028.

The largest battery-electric plane ever made has flown for the first time. Heart Aerospace's X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes on $5 of electricity Heart Aerospace has announced the successful first flight of its prototype all-electric aircraft, the X1 demonstrator. X1 took off from Plattsburgh International Airport in Upstate New York and flew for 27 minutes, reaching an altitude of 1,100 feet, running entirely on its batteries. Heart added the flight, including takeoff and landing, consumed less than $5 worth of electricity, a useful selling point given the price of fuel. It has already earned praise from executives at United Airlines and Air Canada, who are interested in adding electric planes to its fleets. If Heart is successful, the X1 will be followed by the ES-30, a fixed-wing 30-seat hybrid model designed to service regional airports. The company's hope is that its planes can offer a far cheaper service for hopper flights currently operated by turboprop planes like the Embraer ERJ. It is aiming for an all-electric range of 125 miles, with that figure climbing to 500 miles with the hybrid engine. Heart's broader pitch is that it won't just be in the cheaper cost of electricity versus jet fuel that will make its plane affordable. Naturally, the cheaper maintenance and operation cost of electric motors, their better reliability will add to the balance sheet. Of more concern, perhaps, is Heart's belief that the ES-30, while operated by a single pilot initially, will enable autonomous service in the future. Right now, the company is aiming for the ES-30 to enter service by 2031, a date Engadget, Inc.'ll only say is "ambitious" by most plane development standards. The next decade does appear to be one in which a number of aviation startups are looking to offer their vision for the future of flight. Heart will be jostling for space alongside Boom Supersonic, Harbour Air, ZeroAvia, and Rolls-Royce. But, as Engadget, Inc. opined back in 2021, the future of electric flight is entirely dependent on batteries getting a lot denser and lighter compared to their current-day equivalents.