Holding a Winning Hand

Founded in 2016 under the guiding principle of establishing itself as the world’s foremost developer of practical electric aircraft, Los Angeles-based Ampaire has made headlines and demonstrable progress toward upgrading existing utility aircraft to hybrid-electric power.

Summer 2023 has been a busy and productive time for Ampaire. Advancements in the company’s technological, flight-testing, and business endeavors have been at once considerable and of consequence.

In July, Ampaire made history when its Electric EEL technology demonstrator—a Cessna 337 Skymaster retrofitted with a forward electric-motor—became the first hybrid-electric powered aircraft to log in excess of twenty-thousand air-miles. The EEL moniker is a mirror-image ambigram of the aircraft’s original 337 designation and evinces the endemic cleverness of Ampaire’s personnel.

The new mileage record complements a 2022 milestone achievement that saw EEL, whilst making its way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for EAA’s AirVenture 2022 event, undertake and successfully complete a nonstop flight from Los Angeles, California to Hayes, Kansas—a distance of 1,135-statute-miles—thereby setting an as-of-yet unbroken record for the longest single-leg, non-recharged, hybrid-electrically-powered flight.

Summer 2023 has also seen Ampaire, in partnership with the FAA Safety Team, educate first-responders vis-à-vis proper emergency response to incidents and accidents involving electrically-powered aircraft.

In July, Ampaire acquired Talyn Air, a Southern California startup about the business of developing a two-vehicle, fully-electric eVTOL system that separates and reintegrates in flight.

Inspired by two-stage rocket platforms, Talyn Air’s eVTOL comprises two facets: a Lift vehicle and a Cruise vehicle. The former carries the latter vertically to altitude, thereby leaving the Cruise vehicle’s battery wholly undepleted and capable of powering the contraption and its claimed one-thousand-pound payload over an advertised distance of greater than 260-nautical-miles at an alleged speed in excess of 173-knots.    

Upon arriving at its destination, the Cruise vehicle pairs with another Lift vehicle, which conveys it vertically to a soft landing on any helipad-sized surface.

To date, Talyn Air’s unique eVTOL concept has garnered the attention and support of the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

Speaking to the subject of his company’s acquisition of Talyn Air, Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker stated: “Growth through acquisitions of companies and assets is a key part of our long-term strategy to become the industry leader in electrified aviation.”

By acquiring Talyn Air, Ampaire broadens its hybrid-electric aircraft offerings and affords itself access to the adjacent and lucrative defense, Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), and eVTOL markets. Moreover, by dint of the Talyn Air acquisition, Ampaire’s intellectual property holdings and market opportunities are bolstered by eight new patents and seven additional government contracts respectively. Furthermore, the Talyn Air acquisition occasions immediate revenue growth and betters Ampaire’s access to the massive total addressable markets in both commercial and defense applications.

The company set forth in a statement: “Ampaire is excited to integrate our pioneering hybrid-electric propulsion systems with the award-winning Talyn technology, and into the airframes of other developers. With this expansion of our portfolio, Ampaire is well positioned to offer customers the most experienced hybrid-electric propulsion capabilities in the industry across drones, fixed wing, and eVTOL aircraft.”

FMI: www.ampaire.com