Riona Armesmith, MagniX CTO, told AIN this week at Heli-Expo 2024 that the company is looking at an unspecified Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T Twin-Pac-engined helicopter as its next rotorcraft electrification project. Armesmith said the project would replace one of the Twin-Pac’s two power turbines with an electric generator, thereby hybridizing the aircraft on which it is installed, providing both fuel efficiency and an added layer of safety redundancy.
The PT6T powers Bell models including the 212, UH-1N Twin Huey, and the 412. It consists of two PT6A power turbines that drive a common output reduction gearbox.
MagniX has been powering all-electric aircraft since 2019, developing and building battery, hybrid, and hydrogen-fueled electric propulsion units (EPUs) for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and it provides these propulsion solutions for conversion of certified aircraft and in-development aircraft.
The company’s electric motors have been flown on fixed-wing aircraft, including the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and DHC-2 Beaver. In addition, it has been selected to power larger aircraft under development isuch as a hydrogen-fueled 40-seat Dash 8, Faradair’s 18-passenger Beha, and the nine-seat Eviation Alice.
On June 4, 2022, Tier 1 Engineering conducted the first flight of an all-electric Robinson R44 using a MagniX electric propulsion unit. Four months later, that aircraft became the first all-electric helicopter to fly from one airport to another, making the 21-nm flight from Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, California, to Palm Springs International Airport.
In 2021, MagniX was awarded a $74.3 million NASA contract as part of the agency’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD). This program was established to support the introduction of fully electric and hybrid-electric aircraft into commercial fleets by the end of the decade.
Earlier this month, MagniX completed the EPFD preliminary design review and established the baseline design for the retrofit of an Air Tindi de Havilland Dash 7 with a MagniX electric powertrain. That aircraft is slated to make its first flight in 2025.
MagniX has started testing the system at altitudes of up to 27,500 feet. This testing will demonstrate the ability of its EPUs to operate at cruise altitudes with ground testing at NASA’s Electric Aircraft Testbed facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
On February 21, MagniX was named as a finalist for the 2023 U.S. National Aeronautic Association’s Robert J. Collier Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually for distinguished achievements in aeronautics or astronautics.