First flight of the Spirit of Innovation

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First flight of the Spirit of Innovation

First flight

The Spirit of Innovation soars as it takes
to the skies for the first time

A flight three years in the making, our ACCEL team’s attempt to break the air speed record for electric flight passed a significant milestone as the bespoke aircraft proved its airborne capabilities.

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.

Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce, said:

“The first flight of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is a great achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. We are focused on producing the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea, and capture the economic opportunity of the transition to net zero. This is not only about breaking a world record; the advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Urban Air Mobility market and can help make ‘jet zero’ a reality.”

5,000ft

The altitude the aircraft reached

15 mins

The duration of the first flight

14:56 (BST)

The time of the flight

400kW (500+hp)

The size of the electric powertrain

To say that there was a frisson of excitement running through the assembled team would be an understatement. It was, however, an excitement tempered by the calm, procedural manner that has also typified the work leading up to the flight. “You never know what new hurdles you’re going to have to overcome in the build-up to a day like today,” says ACCEL project manager Matheu Parr. “In the last couple of months, we have had several emerging challenges – in some instances we’ve had to take the whole system apart and put it all back together again… You have to remind yourselves that there’s no real instruction manual when you’re working on such a state-of-the-art project. As a team you’ve got to keep a cool head, be methodical and trust in the teams abilities to succeed.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“The first flight of Rolls-Royce’s revolutionary Spirit of Innovation aircraft signals a huge step forward in the global transition to cleaner forms of flight. This achievement, and the records we hope will follow, shows the UK remains right at the forefront of aerospace innovation. By backing projects like this one, the Government is helping to drive forward the boundary pushing technologies that will leverage investment and unlock the cleaner, greener aircraft required to end our contribution to climate change.”

At some point though, the final task of the team on the ground is to simply step away from the aircraft they’ve been nurturing and let Phill slide into the cockpit; pull his helmet on and carry out his own personal preparations. Phill had been familiarising himself with the airfield at Boscombe Down for some time already, flying a number of different aircraft in the lead-up to the big day, getting used to the landscape and the challenge ahead.

As the aircraft taxied into position before rolling forward and commencing its take-off, a cheer went up from the assembled personnel. Not only for the sheer spectacle of seeing the nimble craft soar towards the clouds but because after three years on the project, the team knew that a first flight such as this means the record attempt is now a reality. As the aircraft rolled to a stop after the flight, the team surrounded it. To savour a special moment, yes, but also to waste no time in getting the aircraft ready for the next test. An extraordinary team, working with an extraordinary aircraft towards an extraordinary goal. The countdown to that world-record attempt begins in earnest now!