Whisper Aero Tests Its Ultra-Quiet Electric Propulsors in Crewed Flight

Whisper Aero Completes the First Crewed Swift 3 Electric Glider Flights in Tennessee

Whisper Aero has completed the first piloted flights of its eQ250 electric ducted-fan propulsion system aboard a modified Swift 3 glider, marking a move from ground testing to flight testing for the company’s electric propulsion technology. The Swift was selected as a test platform partly because of its 26:1 lift-to-drag ratio, allowing the company to

Passenger Size Electric Plane Passes First Test

Short to medium haul flights comprise the lions share of US aviation – and there are a number of smaller, regional airports that are underserved because they are uneconomical. But if you can drop the price per passenger by 40 percent, then that might change the math and open up a much larger market. Gemini … Continue reading "Passenger Size Electric Plane Passes First Test"

‘Ultra-Quiet’ Electric Aircraft Engines Power First Piloted Flight

An electric aircraft engine designed to reduce operational noise to a whisper is now powering piloted aircraft. Whisper Aero on Wednesday revealed that its “ultra-quiet” eQ250 electric ducted fan propulsion system is being put to the test in Tennessee under an FAA special airworthiness certification. The company said it installed a pair of eQ250s on a modified Aériane Swift 3 glider, with which test pilot Zac Majors conducted three flights spann…

Whisper Aero tests its ultra-quiet electric propulsors in crewed flight

Tennessee-based startup Whisper Aero last week performed the first crewed flights with its ultra-quiet electric ducted fans, demonstrating that an Aeriane Swift 3 glider powered by its eQ250 propulsors is no louder than the same aircraft in unpowered flight. “The eQ250s themselves are far quieter than the airframe,” Whisper Aero co-founder and chief operating officer Ian Villa told The Air Current in an interview, explaining the single-seat Swif…