PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – A first-of-its-kind flight will take off from the Plattsburgh airport next year. Swedish plane-maker Heart Aerospace will carry out the first-ever fully electric experimental flight of its hybrid aircraft.
“It has a 106-foot wingspan and the final aircraft will have a maximum takeoff weight of 20 tons and it will be able to carry 30 passengers,” said Anders Forslund, the company’s founder and CEO.
He says they’ve been working for the last six years to get an electric passenger aircraft off the ground. The company’s goal is to help eliminate emissions caused by airplanes, reduce operating and consumer costs, and restore air service to underserved airports. “Routes that were previously uneconomical to operate become profitable again, which means that you start connectivity to a lot of those communities that have lost their service in the last few decades,” Forslund said.
To do this, his company needs to reach a series of milestones, including this spring’s flight test. He says the Plattsburgh International Airport is an ideal spot because of its low commercial air traffic and hanger availability.
“We are filling the last hanger with a tenant but we do not have any vacant hanger. So, it’s a good situation to be in,” said airport director Chris Kreig.
Forslund says they also chose the area because of its proximity to Montreal’s aviation cluster and the airport’s experience with hosting test flights for other companies, like Beta Technologies. “We view them as a leader in their space. We are obviously in a little bit different space with a larger aircraft. So, we are nothing but excited,” Forslund said.
An excitement that is palpable in the region. “The work that Clinton County has done has proven to companies like Beta, like Heart Aerospace, that we have the commitment here to help them, foster them, and help them to grow here,” said Molly Ryan, Clinton County’s director of economic development.
The airport’s Chris Kreig says he hopes the partnership extends beyond the test flight. “Just happy that they are coming here to do what it is, what they need to do initially, and if they choose to do that, then that is certainly a conversation we would like to have with them,” he said.
Forslund says his company has already received orders from United Airlines and Air Canada.
In a statement, Beta officials welcomed Heart to the airport. “Plattsburgh has been a wonderful place for us to flight test and advance our program. We’re confident Heart Aerospace will have the same experience,” they said.
