EASA and VÆRIDION sign Pre-Application Contract
Vaeridion GmbH, a Munich based aircraft manufacturer that is accelerating the green transformation of aviation with a battery-electric regional aircraft, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the regulation and certification authority for aviation in Europe, have signed a Pre-Application Contract (PAC) on 15th November 2023. EASA and VÆRIDION are from now on cooperating towards the certification of VÆRIDION’s Microliner as a commercial commuter aircraft.
VÆRIDION is the first General Aviation aircraft manufacturer to enter into a Pre-Application Contract.
The Microliner project has successfully passed EASA’s maturity assessment. EASA has now assigned a team of renowned specialists to collaborate on a PAC project with VÆRIDION’s experts. The joint work will lay the foundation for the VÆRIDION Microliner certification path. Its initial key element is the unique multi-engine single propeller architecture of the electric powerplant.
Unlike the conventional Type Certification (TC) application process, the PAC serves to determine the provisional novel elements of a Certification Basis from the early development phases of an innovative product, well ahead of its application for certification. EASA and VÆRIDION will determine the applicable regulatory framework of both the existing specifications and the regulatory gaps to be closed. Subsequently, the respective EASA rulemaking and VÆRIDION’s development will run in parallel.
This early involvement and parallelization will help to substantially mitigate certification risk and associated delays, which often accompanies novel technology.
„At EASA, we see General Aviation as the incubator for many innovative technologies and the evolution of airframe architecture. Ensuring a sustainable development of the GA sector is one the major challenges for manufacturers and the Agency. We welcome this new partnership with VÆRIDION that will help all parties to develop new knowledge in the domain and contribute to a transition to greener aviation a few years’ from now.“
Alain Leroy – Chief Engineer – EASA
“VÆRIDION sees certification of the Microliner in the centre of our strategic activities. Securing commercial IFR certification is fundamental for scheduled all-weather operation of our battery-electric regional aircraft. EASA’s Pre-Application Services are the perfect initiative for a transforming aviation industry: They allow for early de- risking of our novel technologies and give us access to the valuable resources of EASA experts. Once we have determined the provisional certification basis and applicable Means of Compliance with EASA in the PAC, we can already start addressing our compliance demonstration strategy. This will enable a smoother Type Certificate Application process.”
Dr. Sebastian Seemann – Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder – VÆRIDION
About EASA’s Pre-Application Services
EASA’s Pre-Application Services were introduced by EASA in 2022 in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 784/2012. They support the introduction of innovative products by providing technical advice in the early development.
About the Microliner
The Microliner is a fixed-wing aircraft that will transport 9 passengers over up to 500 km range. The Microliner is designed for commercial operations under IFR conditions. It will operate between decentralized regional cities and metropoles saving the traveller precious time at competitive travel cost. The Microliner is a clean sheet design that is optimized for energy efficient flight. Main novel technologies are the wing-integrated modular batteries and an electrical multi-engine single propeller powerplant. VÆRIDION has selected Aircraft Design Certification GmbH (AD&C), a Part 21J.411 EASA approved Design Organisation (DOA), as their external DOA in order to demonstrate compliance and certify the Microliner before 2030.
