By now most COPA members have heard or seen some of the extensive media coverage of the first flight of a battery-operated Beaver near Vancouver earlier this week. Indeed, much of the world has now heard the story. Most of that reporting, however, included misleading information and/or was replete with inaccuracies. Below we will dispel some of those myths.

The electric Beaver is a project of both Harbour Air, at one time the largest passenger floatplane airline in the world (now the second biggest) and magniX, a company founded in Australia but now headquartered in Redmond, Washington (near Seattle). magniX is the manufacturer of the Magni500 750-hp (560 kW) electric motor used in the prototype.

The flight was not in a commercial aircraft in the sense that it was certified to carry passengers – it is a prototype used in the certification process. As such, the flight was made for ‘proof of concept’ purposes only.

The batteries used in this prototype were lithium iron. This technology was selected as the batteries are less volatile than ordinary lithium ion batteries. The prototype’s batteries will be removed from the test aircraft and repurposed as energy sources for start carts.

The range of the prototype was not 100 miles as some media reported. Range of the test aircraft was not mentioned. The 100-mile specification comes from the range expected once Harbour Air’s electric Beavers become certified and put into commercial service. This will limit their use to the short island and coastal hops that make up the majority of Harbour Air’s routes, flights that typically last for 25 minutes or less.

Harbour Air founder and CEO Greg McDougall, who piloted the prototype, did not say that a tailwind helped propel the prototype aloft as some media reported. He said that, despite taking off with a tailwind (to ensure the aircraft became airborne in front of the gathered international media), the aircraft wanted to “leap in the air despite the tailwind.”

With the 185-lb payload of the prototype (with the pilot), it is obvious that a battery-operated Beaver is not yet commercially viable. The key to the success of this project is advancement of battery technology. The pace of this advancement is such that McDougall expects to have a commercially viable electric Beaver in service in southwestern British Columbia before the end of 2022.

Photos by Steve Drinkwater

The pilot who departed from Medicine Hat airport (CYXH) on a night flight to Moose Jaw airport (CYMJ) last spring that ended in collision with terrain, killing all three on board, was unlicensed, according to an investigation report released by the Transportation Safety Board earlier this week.

The pilot had at one time held a student pilot permit, but it had expired in May of 2014. The pilot also held an invalid Class 4 medical certificate, having expired in June of 2017.

The TSB reports that there was no flight plan filed, nor was there any record of the pilot having obtained a weather briefing before the flight. There were reports that evening of limited visibility in the area due to smoke and haze.

The aircraft struck the ground 18 nm east of CYXH at high speed and at a nose-down attitude of around 45°. Although the ELT was activated, the signal was weak and did not alert authorities of the crash; a ground and air search that eventually found the aircraft the next morning was launched after a call was made to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton three hours after the aircraft was overdue.

The impact was such that the TSB investigators could not determine whether the flight controls and other aircraft systems had been in proper working order, although records did not reveal anything amiss.

The pilot had at least 142 hours of flight experience logged in his incomplete logbook, and reportedly had around 40 hours of night flying experience with another pilot on board.

COPA reminds members of the importance of a culture of safety while exercising the freedom to fly. The General Aviation Safety Campaign (GASC), a joint effort of COPA and Transport Canada – Civil Aviation exists to further this objective.

The complete TSB report can be viewed by clicking here.

Photo credit: Global News