A first look at the Heart Aerospace X1 demonstrator: Pictures

One of the most exciting projects right now in the world in the field of electric and hybrid-electric aviation is Heart Aerospace.

The Swedish startup has garnered interest from a rather impressive roster of investors and partners, including some major airlines such as United Airlines, Air Canada and SAS.

So, now is time to move onto the decisive stages: flight testing and getting the aircraft certified.

To this end, Heart Aerospace has built its first airworthy aircraft demonstrator, which it calls X1.

This aircraft, which was unveiled at an event (the so-called “Hangar Day”) at the company’s facilities near Göteborg, Sweden, is going to be now disassembled and shipped to California, where the company has established its R&D facility.

Heart Aerospace’s CEO, Anders Forslund, addressed the attendees to share some details, not just about the X1 demonstrator, but also about the broader vision of Heart Aerospace and about the long term industrial and commercial plans of the company.

Before Heart’s ES-30 aircraft can become a reality, though, there are at least 4-5 years of further development ahead, including the construction of a second demonstrator, X2, down the line.

Heart Aerospace certification roadmap for the ES-30 aircraft

Those congregate at Säve Airfield were then able to have a first glimpse of the aircraft and even get onboard to get a first impression of how is it going to feel like to fly on Heart Aerospace’s ES-30 hybrid electric aircraft. Here are some pictures from up close: