Swiss start-up Jekta plans next month to begin flight testing a scale model of the amphibious hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft it aims to bring to market next decade.
The company released images of the 1:9-scale model on 3 December, saying the demonstrator has similar characteristics as its envisioned production aircraft and that it will use the model to evaluate the design’s performance.
“While the final aircraft configuration will evolve based on data generated by operating the model in the air and on the water, the model is closely representative of the definitive PHA-ZE 100 design,” says Jekta. “Details include a distributed electric powerplant based on eight electric motors, advanced aerodynamic configuration and large cockpit and cabin windows.”
Jekta intends in January to begin flight testing the remotely piloted model in Tuscany.
The company’s conceptual PHA-ZE 100 passenger aircraft, as envisioned, will have 10 wing-mounted propellers powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system. It will cruise at 130kt (241km/h), have 270nm (500km) of range, carry 12-19 passengers and be able to land on water or land, Jekta says.
The company aims to begin producing the PHA-ZE 100 in 2030 or 2031.
“The 1:9 scale model is large enough to provide data representative of the full-size aircraft and is allowing us to efficiently expand the test envelope while verifying data already collected,” says Jekta chief executive and co-founder George Alafinov. “We will continue to refine the aircraft configuration based on findings from the model testing.”
Alafinov has insisted the company has a defined path to certification, telling FlightGlobal in February, “The regulations for design are there. The regulations for operations are there”.
