True Blue Power (Booth C9639) of Wichita announced an OEM launch customer for its lithium-ion main-ship batteries at NBAA 2015. Bell Helicopter has selected the True Blue Power TB17 (17 amp-hour) as the primary battery on the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.
Another important milestone for True Blue Power is the first revenue flights of an aircraft equipped with True Blue Power lithium-ion main-ship batteries. Calgary, Alberta-based R1 Airlines, an on-demand charter service, became the first commercial operator to use an aircraft (a Bombardier DHC-8-100) so equipped earlier this month. The batteries were installed after True Blue Power and Avmax, which manages R1 Airlines, received a Part 25 supplemental type certificate (STC) from Transport Canada for installation of the True Blue Power TB44 (44 amp-hour) battery on the DHC-8 100/200/300 series. Avmax and True Blue Power have applied for bilateral acceptance by the FAA of the same STC for use on U.S.-based Dash 8s.
Avmax’s other charter airline, Airmax Chad in Africa, is also slated to convert to True Blue Power batteries for its two Dash 8-300s, according to Tobin Shackleford, Avmax vice president of business development and marketing.
True Blue Power also announced the receipt of another Transport Canada STC for installation of its TB17 lithium-ion battery on the Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. As it has done with its TB44 battery, True Blue Power has applied for FAA bilateral acceptance of the same STC on U.S.-based Bonanzas.
“This certification is a milestone for us,” said Rick Slater, True Blue Power division manager. “It provides the baseline for subsequent STC processes on a long list of aircraft applications awaiting True Blue Power lithium-ion batteries. Other STCs are under way to get approval for use of TB17 batteries in the Robinson R44 and AS350 AStar and DH-6 Twin Otter, as well as TB44 batteries in the Cessna 208/208B Caravan and Pilatus PC-12.
The company also announced that Burt Rutan has selected a custom-integrated True Blue Power lithium-ion battery for the SkiGull seaplane, which is being developed by Rutan and Regan Designs. The lithium-ion battery will power the versatile aircraft’s auxiliary electrical propulsion system, which will be used for docking and beaching in winds, engine-out safety and takeoff thrust boost. True Blue Power partnered with Regan Designs to develop the custom-integrated lithium-ion battery module.
According to True Blue Power, the company’s proprietary nanophosphate lithium cell chemistry provides superior energy density, providing three times the energy per kilogram when compared to lead-acid and ni-cad alternatives. The lithium-ion batteries are 40- to 45-percent lighter than the alternatives and are said to provide a lower cost of ownership, with 50- to 90-percent less scheduled maintenance cost. This is the result of increased durability, two-year maintenance intervals, efficient engine starts and two- to three-times longer useful battery life, according to the company.
