For the first time, a helicopter has flown between airfields only using electric power. That announcement came this week from Tier 1 Engineering, which says it completed a 21-nautical-mile flight on Oct. 29 between Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).
The all-electric aircraft is a modified Robinson R44 helicopter flown by pilots Ric Webb of OC Helicopters and Martine Rothblatt of Lung Biotechnology, which is a collaborator on the project.
The e-R44 uses quick-swap technology for its helicopter battery packs to enable return-trip flights without waiting for a recharge. The time required to swap a battery pack is 15 minutes versus 1 hour for a full recharge. The specific cross-country route for the flight was chosen based on FAA approval, said Tier 1 Engineering in a statement.
The 21nm distance is the same as the first commercial helicopter flight across the English Channel, which took place on Sept. 25, 1947, the statement said.
“Progress in the development of all-electric propulsion is similar to other periods of significant advance in aviation,” said Tier 1 Engineering President Glen Dromgoole. “The first aircraft flew short distances, and many people were afraid to ride in the new flying machines. At the start of the Jet Age, there was widespread skepticism about the commercial viability of the turbine engine. Today’s historic flight demonstrates the potential of all-electric rotorcraft and we are thrilled by this achievement.”
The 3rd Generation all-electric e-R44 is designed to deliver manufactured organs for transplant by United Therapeutics, the biotechnology company responsible for the world’s first transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart into a human patient and for creating the world’s first full-size 3D bio-printed organs.
United Therapeutics plans to use electric and sustainable aviation-fueled fixed-wing aircraft to deliver transplantable organs long distances to airports and then to use electric helicopters and eVTOLs for the shorter hops such as from the airports to the transplant hospitals.
Last October, Unither Bioelectronics, a United Therapeutics subsidiary, accomplished the world’s first delivery of a lung for transplant by electric drone between two hospitals in downtown Toronto.
“These flights are the building blocks that lay the foundation where our future can continue to soar. I am excited and honored to be part of this amazing team, this historic event and furthering the advancement of making blue skies green,” said pilot Ric Webb, CEO of Part 135 helicopter operator OC Helicopters, which is planning to offer organ delivery services via the electric R44.
“Lung Biotechnology is committed to delivering life-saving transplantable organs with a zero-carbon footprint,” said Dr. Martine Rothblatt, one of the helicopter’s pilots and the CEO for of parent company United Therapeutics Corporation. “It is fully possible to save patients’ lives while ensuring a livable planet. Today’s historic inter-city electric helicopter flight demonstrates that many organ transport distances are doable with electric aircraft using today’s technology. We are committed to achieving FAA certification of this electric helicopter and to using newer energy cells to extend our ranges to hundreds of miles in the next few years.”
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