FAA Approves Flight Tests For Heart's ES-30 Aircraft

The FAA has cleared Heart Aerospace to start flight tests with the X-1 demonstrator for its planned ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner program. On Thursday, the start-up announced it has received a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category (SAC-EC), allowing it to start flights from Plattsburgh International Airport (KPBG) in New York immediately.

The news breaks a long silence from Heart about the status of the program since it relocated from Sweden to the U.S. in 2024. The company is now completing final preparations for a first flight with the 30-seater.

According to Heart, receipt of the SAC-EC follows extensive ground testing with the X-1 aircraft, including evaluations of its structures, propulsion system, and other equipment, as well as low- and high-speed taxi trials. In a year-long process, FAA officials also assessed the company’s documentation and flight-test plan.

Heart will use the X-1 to validate flight characteristics and key technologies, generating data it needs to complete development of the aircraft. In 2024, the company said the X-1 demonstrator would use a provisional version of the ES-30’s propulsion system, with a more advanced version to follow on a subsequent X-2 pre-production prototype.

With a wingspan of 106 feet and a 76-foot-long fuselage, the ES-30 will have a maximum takeoff weight of 25,000 pounds. Heart has not revealed a revised timeline for type certification or confirmed projected range and speed since mid-2024, when it said it was expecting to complete EASA approval in 2028 based on the start of flight testing in 2025.