Ampaire, with a vision to create electric aircraft to help solve the problems of high operating costs and environmental impact among commercial air travel, is setting a model of advanced transportation through innovation and entrepreneurship. Founded in 2016 and led by CEO and Co-Founder, Kevin Noertker, CTO and Co-Founder Cory Combs, and CFO and Co-Founder Ryan Bilton, the team is breaking new ground in the electrification of air travel.
The Ampaire electrified plane can make short flights of up to 100 miles, reducing noise and air pollution in communities. Currently, over 40% of the typical turbo propeller aircraft flights are under 100 miles, utilizing only 500 of the 5,000 airports in the United States. There remains an opportunity to utilize under-used airports for the very common short-haul flights.
Additionally, airplanes and aviation are the largest polluters in the county. Electrified planes will contribute to significant reductions in air pollution.
Co-founders Kevin and Cory have a history in the aerospace industry. Kevin and Cory met in 2009 while doing research with Northrop Grumman, where Kevin spent seven years. They founded the company based on their analysis of an airplane’s capabilities with current electric vehicle technology.
The team started Ampaire in Temecula but moved to Los Angeles to capitalize on the talented and abundant workforce of engineers and electric vehicle specialists. The twelve-person team is now located at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), where they have an office, and also a warehouse location housing a ground test vehicle. They currently focus their efforts on building the airplane propulsion systems, including software, hardware, and integration.
Their vision for the future is the TailWind aircraft, which has both options of electric and hybrid electric. Their first experimental product is the conversion of an existing six-seater aircraft, which will begin flight testing this year in Camarillo.
Ampaire plans to have a commercial product ready for distribution by the end of 2020.
