Ampaire has begun hybrid-electric flight testing in Utah after the first demonstration flight of its EEL aircraft under the state’s uFLY initiative. The run between Salt Lake City International Airport and Cedar City Regional Airport on 6 August used a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster and opened a planned series of demonstrations supported by the Utah Department of Transportation and the FAA’s eIPP programme.
UDOT has positioned uFLY as a public-private partnership selected by the FAA as one of eight projects under the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, aimed at helping advanced aircraft enter the National Airspace System. The demonstration is intended to assess how hybrid-electric aircraft perform on regional routes spanning Utah’s mountain and rural terrain, while informing operational readiness, infrastructure planning and future regulation for advanced air mobility.
Ampaire test pilot Zack Kraus said the electric boost aided climb performance in Utah’s high-density-altitude conditions, where a conventional aircraft would be more limited. The programme is also expected to support longer-term regional cargo and passenger use cases, with Ampaire later planning to introduce its Eco Caravan hybrid platform. A separate positioning flight from Long Beach to Salt Lake City on 3 August reportedly covered 648 miles on a single battery charge.