Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

CAE has formed a partnership with Piper Aircraft to develop a supplemental&nbsp;type certificate (STC) for an electric powerplant conversion of the single-engine Piper PA-28-181 Archer light airplane, the companies said Tuesday at the Farnborough Airshow. Under the partnership, Swiss company H55, which provided&nbsp;technology used on the Solar Impulse sun-powered world-rounding airplane, will supply the battery system for the STC. Safran Electrical &amp; Power will supply its EngineUs 100 electric motor that provides a&nbsp;maximum of 150 kW power at takeoff and incorporates an integrated&nbsp;motor controller.

 


The project draws support from&nbsp;a Project Resilience program under which CAE plans to invest&nbsp;C$1 billion over the next five years in innovation through a partnership with the governments of Canada and Quebec.

 


In announcing the partnership on Tuesday, CAE president and CEO Marc Parent said the project combines CAE’s “innovative spirit and our commitment to sustainability” and comes as the company celebrates its 75th anniversary.&nbsp;As for the move to electrify the Piper, he noted that new propulsion technology stimulated&nbsp;development over the history of aviation. "We’re seeing it here today," said Parent. "This is a leap forward for CAE.”

 


Noting that Piper has produced more than 28,000 Archers, Parent added that selecting that model made sense for CAE because it is one of the largest operators of the Piper aircraft. “We literally have hundreds of aircraft and a big portion is Piper Archer aircraft,” he said.

 


As such, he added Piper is “absolutely positioned to bring in leaders in electrification together…to develop a modification for the aircraft." Parent added the modification will be important for CAE not only in making its training more sustainable but also in helping to train students on the operation of electrical aircraft, which he sees as an important need for the future.

 


However, plans call for CAE to make the STC available not only for its flight schools but to other operators worldwide. Under the agreement, Piper would have the ability to leverage the STC for its other products and into the production line. Ron Gunnarson, v-p of sales, marketing, and customer support for Piper, said that the approach is similar to the one it took with the Continental CD-155 engine&nbsp;that can run on diesel or jet-A and is offered in an Archer airframe.&nbsp;He added that the company plans to move forward with such evaluations.

 


Parent was not yet ready to reveal a timeline for the project, only saying, “We’re not talking years.” Pricing is still to come as well.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

CAE Teams with Piper on Electric Archer STC

Working with Piper, Safran and H55, CAE is developing a supplemental type certificate to electrify Piper's PA-28-181 Archer.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Jessica Reed

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Jo Damato and Andrew Broom assume additional responsibilities

NBAA Expands Roles for Two Senior Executives

Matt Thurber

Similarities between the piston- and jet-powered Cirruses make transition training easier

Transport Canada Certifies Cirrus SR G7 and Vision G2+

Aircraft will be able to take off in 150 feet of runway

Electra Launches Hybrid-electric EL9 STOL Aircraft

Hanneke Weitering

First production-representative Alia CX300 takes flight

Beta Flies First Electric Airplane Produced in Vermont Factory

G700 next headed to the Bahrain International Airshow for display alongside the G500

Gulfstream’s G700 Surpasses 65 City-pair Records

Honda's secretive eVTOL program picks up steam

FAA Greenlights Honda eVTOL Flight Tests

Curt Epstein

Some models are seeing high demand, others not so much

Broker: Preowned Cessna Citation Market Remains Mixed

Charles Alcock

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Farnborough AirShow 2022

More In Aircraft