We all remember those moments in the movies. The crack team, swaggering in slow motion towards the hangar as the still rising sun casts them in silhouette; each person sure of their role, ready to carry out a mission that’s never been attempted before…
Well, we also all know by now that real life rarely mirrors memorable movie moments. But when the Spirit of Innovation team turned up at Boscombe Down airfield early on the morning of 15 September, it was hard not to think in such terms. The team features a diverse group of people, drawn not only from a traditional aviation background, but from motorsports, research institutes and academia. They were all primed to witness a major milestone in the ACCEL project.
That undertaking – an all - electric powered first flight – has been in the making since 2018, a period during which the close-knit team have not only brought their expertise and ideas to an ambitious feat of engineering, but done so amidst the unprecedented restrictions brought about by a global pandemic.
For those gathered today, it was the chance to see all those hours of work, all the challenges overcome, and for the aircraft to take to the skies for the first time. A chance to see this remarkable aircraft – powered by a ground-breaking new battery and electric propulsion system – in action. The purpose of this first flight was not for Director of Flight Operations Phill O’Dell to push the speed of the aircraft to its limit, but to ensure all the new technologies at his fingertips would power the ‘Spirit of Innovation' to soar through the upcoming flight test programme.