The piloted X1 took off from Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on Aug. 12. The aircraft reached 1,100 feet above ground level while its all-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power.
X1 has a 106-foot wingspan, measures 76 feet from nose to tail and weighed more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff. The flight covered taxi, takeoff, climb, maneuvering and landing under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category.
“With the first flight of X1, Heart Aerospace has demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner,” said Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. “Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally reshape airline economics and, ultimately, lower the cost of air travel for passengers.”
Heart said the aircraft consumed approximately $5 worth of electricity during the flight. The company noted that global jet fuel prices averaged $3.50 per gallon for the week ending Aug. 7, up 63% from a year earlier.
The X1 is a full-scale demonstrator representative of the ES-30 and is being used to validate key technologies, aerodynamics and flight performance. Heart is developing the ES-30 for FAA Part 25 certification and has secured customer commitments from United Airlines, Air Canada and JSX.
“The first flight of X1 is a major technical achievement for Heart Aerospace, a company United has been proud to support,” said Michael Leskinen, Chief Financial Officer of United Airlines. “Electric commercial aircraft have real potential to deliver a better travel experience for passengers while strengthening our business, and we look forward to Heart’s continued development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in United’s network.”
Heart expects the ES-30 to reduce aircraft operating costs by more than 40% compared with legacy regional aircraft. It said the projected savings would come from lower energy costs, reduced maintenance requirements and greater aircraft uptime and reliability.
The company expects the cost advantage to widen over time through advances in battery technology and gains in crew efficiency. Heart also expects the aircraft to have lower exposure to emissions-related aviation taxes and fees.
“Through the X1 program, Heart has built the capability to design, build, test, operate, and continuously improve a clean-sheet electric commercial aircraft,” said Ben Stabler, Chief Technology Officer. “We are carrying that full-stack capability directly into the ES-30, our first production aircraft and the foundation of a broader technology platform for electric airliners.”
Heart is now developing the first pre-production ES-30 at its pilot manufacturing plant in Los Angeles. Flight testing of the pre-production aircraft is scheduled to begin in 2028.
