Eviation Aircraft today unveiled the revised design for Alice, its all-electric 11-seat aircraft, and confirmed plans to complete FAA type certification and service entry in 2024. Further, the company said the aircraft will make its first test flight by year-end.
Newly published design drawings reveal significant changes from an earlier prototype, with a T-tail configuration replacing a V-tail. “We moved from a V-tail to a T-tail to optimize performance and handling and make it easy and reliable for pilots to seamlessly transition to flying the aircraft,” a company spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Alice’s two MagniX Magni650 electric motors have been relocated from the wingtips to a pylon mount on the aft fuselage. In May, MagniX delivered the first Magni650 motors to Eviation. Singapore-based Clermont Group owns the two companies.
Eviation has sublet several hangars at Arlington Airport in Washington state and has spent at least $300,000 to renovate the facility to support its plans for the Alice development work.
Key program partners announced so far include Honeywell Aerospace, which is providing Alice’s fly-by-wire flight control system, and aerostructures group GKN Aerospace. On June 3, GKN said it delivered the first fully integrated wings, empennage, and electrical wiring interconnection systems for the aircraft from its facility in Bristol, UK.
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