GE Partners With Lilium Jet On eVTOL Data Platforms
Viewing operational flight data as a vital developmental component, GE has joined forces with Lilium on its Lilium Jet.
The developmental Lilium Jet design is an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet aircraft.
GE Aerospace announced today it is joining with Munich, Germany-based Regional Air Mobility (RAM) developer Lilium “to build a solid safety foundation for this exciting new mode of travel.” With 1,000 employees (500 engineers), Lilium will share flight data and analytic platforms with U.S.-based GE, which boasts 52,000 employees worldwide.
Plans for the partnership include OEM-level (original equipment manufacturer) Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) and Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs. The data-collection platforms are designed to establish a voluntary FDM program for Lilium’s customers and to monitor eVTOL [electric Vertical Take Off and Landing] safety “at a fleet-wide level.”
Dominique Decard, VP of Fleet Operations, Support and Services at Lilium, said, “Flight data monitoring at a fleetwide level is a key component of our aftermarket services offering for operators. Collaborating with GE today will allow us to deploy the technology to support our flight test campaign.”
Andrew Coleman, general manager of GE Aerospace’s Software as a Service (SaaS) Group, said, “Aviation regulators in Europe and the US are rightly setting the highest bar for eVTOLs to meet in safety standards and regulations. Together with Lilium, we’re bringing together OEM-level flight data monitoring and quality assurance capabilities of [GE’s] EMS [Event Management System] with Lilium’s eVTOL jet-related analytics platform to establish a robust safety foundation for eVTOL industry that will help to accelerate commercial-scale adoption of this exciting new technology.”
