H55’s All-Electric Two-Seater Completes Seventh “Across America” Stop

Solar Impulse-inspired developer H55 has stopped in Oshkosh along its 113-day (and counting) “Across America” journey, marking the first appearance of its Bristell B23 Energic at EAA AirVenture. The all-electric aircraft has embarked on noise, high altitude, and high temperature demonstrations throughout the tour.

The “Across America” tour includes eight stops, with Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, and now Wisconsin already underway. The Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) was the first stop, allowing the B23 Energic to make its US debut at another major US aviation event: the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo.

Along the way, the B23 Energic has not taken it easy. It has been thrown into a variety of environments to test its versatility, including demonstration flights in Colorado. Taking place at an airport that reports a field elevation of nearly 6,000 feet MSL and in temperatures as high as 97 degrees, the Energic was forced to show out with a takeoff density altitude of 9,500 feet. Its ability to get off the ground and maintain a 500-foot-per-minute climb helps soothe a major public concern regarding electric aircraft performance in ‘hot and high’ locations.

Bristell’s B23 aircraft has already received the EASA green light and has ticked all the boxes for US certification under FAR Part 23. The standard version is a two-seat, all-metal bird flying with a Rotax 912 or 915iSc engine, earning cruise speeds in excess of 110 knots.

The H55 version, dubbed the Energic, utilizes a single electric motor with 48 kWh of usable energy. It has around a one-to-one hour ratio in the air to on the charger, making it a capable contender for flight training and other GA operations.

The B23 Energic is now on display at the EAA Oshkosh AirVenture for the first (but hopefully not the last) time ever. It can be found among the Bristell collection at Booths 296/297.

FMI: www.bristell.com