Cassio-1 Demo-Flights Canceled Amidst Regulatory Fiasco

VoltAero-the French airframer founded by former Airbus chief technical officer Didier Esteyne-has called for increased coordination, standardization, and recognition among Europe’s airworthiness authorities.

The call followed the forced postponement of planned demonstration flights of the company’s Cassio-1 electric-hybrid aircraft in the Netherlands.

Differences in French and Dutch regulations pertaining to the registration and certification of aircraft precipitated the cancellation of the demo-flights, which were intended to promote sustainable, regional air-travel and commerce under the auspices Power Up, an initiative of the Netherlands’s four main regional airports (Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen, and Maastricht) that seeks to facilitate and stimulate the introduction of electric Regional Air Mobility (eRAM) throughout the Dutch territories.  

Dutch regulations stipulate that only aircraft registered in the European civil aircraft registry are allowed to operate in Dutch airspace. In France, experimental aircraft such as Cassio-1 are traditionally not registered as normal aircraft. Notwithstanding documentation from the French DGAC civil airworthiness authority establishing the Cassio-1’s status as a legal aircraft in France, Dutch regulators refused to allow the airplane to fly in their country’s airspace.  

VoltAero CEO and Chief Technology Officer Jean Botti (pictured) said of the instance: “Such inconsistencies between national regulations could pose a major challenge for the development of new, sustainable aircraft. It is heartbreaking to see that the joint efforts of VoltAero and Power Up have been blocked by these inconsistencies.” Botti added: “This not only is a problem for our specific demonstration flights – which would have involved just five days of flying; it could hinder the electric aviation industry’s evolution as a whole. There is a need for testing new technologies across countries and borders. We call on policymakers throughout Europe to work towards harmonized regulations to ensure that the development of new sustainable aircraft technology can be achieved as efficiently as possible.”

VoltAero is developing a family of electric-parallel hybrid aircraft based on the company’s proprietary electric-hybrid powertrain. Its Cassio-1 testbed-powered by VoltAero’s 600-kilowatt electric-hybrid powertrain-has traversed some ten-thousand-kilometers of test-flights throughout France and the United Kingdom.

Botti said VoltAero remains fully ready to bring Cassio 1 for the demonstration flights once the aircraft is accepted by the Netherlands.

FMI: www.voltaero.aero