EVERETT — The first flight powered by the locally headquartered company, magniX, and it’s Samson battery is being hailed by the battery maker as well as the plane maker, Bye Aerospace, as a milestone for the respective companies.
This was the first flight to be powered by magniX’s Samson300 battery product. The Samson300, according to magniX, offers industry-leading energy density of 300 Wh/kg, unmatched cycle life of over 1,000 full-depth discharge cycles, and patented safety technologies.
“The first flight powered by magniX’s Samson battery product is a major milestone, demonstrating the exceptional performance of our technology,” said Reed Macdonald, CEO of magniX. “I would like to congratulate the team at Bye, who are doing important work applying the low-cost of operation and increased reliability of electric aircraft to the flight training market.”
Samson batteries can be integrated into aircraft as part of a full magniX powertrain and are available as a standalone product. Delivering up to 800 volts, magniX batteries have been designed to meet the demands of mission-critical applications across a range of industries in aerospace and beyond, including data centers, energy storage, mobility, and defense.
Bye Aerospace’s eFlyer 2 was the aircraft powered in this innaugural flight test, September 25. The eFlyer 2 took off from Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado. The eFlyer 2 is forecast to cost significantly less to operate than legacy piston training aircraft. With the combination of the Samson battery power, it’s designed for rapid charging and will produce zero emissions. Both companies, say jointly, this technology will disrupt the flight training market, where rising costs have contributed to a critical pilot shortage facing the global aviation industry, with Samson batteries leading on performance and reliability
“The successful first flight of the eFlyer 2 marks a major milestone for Bye Aerospace and demonstrates the progress being made across the electric aviation industry,” said Rod Zastrow, CEO of Bye Aerospace. “We’re proud to have achieved this milestone with magniX’s Samson battery technology onboard. We look forward to continuing our work together as we expand the eFlyer 2 flight test program and move toward certification.”
Headquartered in Everett, Wash., magniX is a technology platform developing solutions for the electric age. magniX’s batteries and power electronics provide industry-leading safety and reliability for critical energy storage applications in data centers, space, defense, mobility, and aerospace. Its compact and power dense electric engines provide propulsion and power generation capabilities available as part of a fully-integrated aerospace powertrain.
Bye Aerospace is a global leader in electric aircraft development, focused on creating sustainable aviation solutions for training and General Aviation markets. Its eFlyer series is designed to dramatically reduce operating costs and carbon emissions while enhancing the flight training experience and safety.
No immediate data was provided by magniX or Bye Aerospace about the duration, flight status or range of the test flight.