How Helios Horizon is Taking Electric Aircraft to New Altitudes

Helios Horizon, an initiative to develop a stratospheric electric airplane, recently concluded its latest flight test campaign having surpassed the altitude record for multi-seat electric aircraft.

Over a series of flights in April and May near Bishop, Calif., Helios Horizon progressed from 17,500 to 24,000 feet, all while using less than 60% of the aircraft’s total battery capacity.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology Podcast, Miguel Iturmendi, Helios Horizon Founder and Chief Test Pilot, explains the project's goals and how their modified Pipistrel has been setting world records in altitudes achieved by an electric aircraft over the last year.

The Helios Horizon team includes engineers and test pilots from some of the world’s most well-known sustainable aviation initiatives, including Perlan Project, Solar Impulse and Solar Stratos. Iturmendi has been a test pilot for all three projects, and he has soared to more than 65,000 feet in the zero-emission, engineless Perlan 2.

For its stratospheric flights, Iturmendi designed and built his own partial pressure suit, which has been tested to 45,000 feet in the hypobaric chamber at the University of North Dakota’s Aerospace Physiology Department.

SAE Media Group has launched a new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) conference, "eVTOL Technology USA," occurring October 28-29, in Arlington, VA. Go to eVTOLtechusa.com for more information.