Posted on 05/06/2026 7:45:38 PM PDT by Red Badger
The 121 lb air-cooled motor is part of a full electric powertrain and is targeted for flight training, recreational aviation, and future eVTOL applications.
An artist's render of the modified RV-10 that will use a magniAIR motor. MagniX
Washington state-based MagniX has introduced the MagniAIR, its first electric aircraft engine developed specifically for general aviation (GA) airframes.
The company designed the zero-emission, air-cooled motor for applications currently served by 120- to 175-kilowatt piston engines. These include flight training and recreational flying.
The engine weighs 55 kilograms (about 121 lb) and delivers up to 175 kW, giving it what MagniX describes as a class-leading power-to-weight ratio. The company plans to make the MagniAIR available for purchase in 2027.
MagniAIR motor to reduce fuel consumption, operating costs The MagniAIR forms part of a complete powertrain that includes power electronics and proprietary Samson battery packs. In a statement released earlier this month, company officials claimed the engine was devised in response to rising costs in general aviation.
Ben Loxton, vice president of new product development at MagniX, noted that many training aircraft in use today date back to the 1970s. “Fuel prices and maintenance costs are causing the cost of flight training to rise at the same time as the industry faces an acute shortage of pilots,” he said.
MagniX is working to integrate the MagniAIR into a Van’s RV-10 kit plane as part of a full-electric powertrain. In flight tests, the company aims to demonstrate lower operating costs through reduced fuel consumption and simpler maintenance compared with traditional piston engines. The modified aircraft is scheduled to fly later in 2026, and it will be on display at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.
Reed Macdonald, CEO of MagniX, emphasized the MagniAIR’s versatility, stating it “can be used for any application currently powered by a 120-to-175-kilowatt piston engine.”
The MagniAIR motor is also designed to fit light-sport aircraft under the FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule. Potential additional uses include defense applications and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) platforms.
The certification challenge
Certification remains a key hurdle in the US. In 2021, the FAA issued special conditions for MagniX’s earlier engines, but has yet to grant the company crucial Part 33 type certification. As a report from Flying Mag pointed out, MagniX and ZeroAvia are the only companies with active FAA certification projects for electric aircraft engines.
In Europe, things are moving a little faster. In 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified Pipistrel’s E-811 engine in 2020, as well as Safran’s ENGINeUS 100 last year.
The launch of MagniAir adds to MagniX’s broader portfolio in electric and hybrid-electric propulsion. The firm, known for its Magni350 and Magni650 engines, launched the HeliStorm for helicopters in 2025.
It holds partnerships with Robinson Helicopter on a battery-electric R66 demonstrator, with NASA on a hybrid-electric De Havilland Dash 7 retrofit, and with DeltaHawk Engines on a US Air Force hybrid-electric powerplant project.
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Aviation Ping!....................
235 HP for those more familiar with equine units.
For reference, the Cessna 152 Lycoming O-235 is 82 kw.
Sounds good/interesting power to engine weight wise...my Q’s would be how many batteries needed for say a 5 hour flight at 80% power and the total weight of those batteries compared with the weight of enough avgas for the same 5 hour flight in say an aircraft fitted with a Continental “IO-360” (similar horsepower).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_IO-360
I wonder if it’s quiet................
I would imagine pretty quiet except for the prop wash sound and some electric motor hummmm...
I guess a proper comparison would be the weight of a piston engine plus the weight of the fuel to make a five-hour flight, compared to the weight of the electric engine plus the weight of the batteries needed to make the same flight.
I have a feeling the comparison wouldn’t work out that favorably, at least today. In five or ten years, another story probably.
Yeah my feeling too...less cargo/passenger capacity in a given A/C with this system until batteries get more power dense/lighter weight.
I suppose cabin heating might be obtained from the motor's waste heat, but the other items not so much.
Exactly right. Power plant weight + energy storage weight is the important number.
For ICE, energy storage is fuel weight plus fuel system.
For EV, energy storage is batteries, wiring, and power electronics.
Focusing on power plant weight is deceptive. Also, hours of operating time for that weight.
In a few more years with more development of batteries this might be fairly satisfactory. Of course, you’d want fully charged batteries before going up in case of an emergency.
Yeah, and as I’ve said before, a battery is a container of fuel co-located with a container of oxidizer, and the two chemicals are separated by a barrier that’s thin enough for ions to cross. That fact gives me the heeby-jeebys.
I’m a huge fan of hybrid cars.
Surely a hybrid GA aircraft would be feasible?
I don’t think all electric aircraft (EA) are feasible, just as I don’t think EVs are feasible, in the long run.
And, I am pretty sure that the life cycle economic cost of EVs and EAs is not being properly evaluated or “scored.”
**And I forgot to include the auxiliary loads: instruments, heating, pressurization if any (the plane in the photograph looks like its up pretty high).**
Not an actual MagniX powered airplane...
From the story: “An artist’s render of the modified RV-10 that will use a magniAIR motor. MagniX”
Oh, sure. Didn’t read the story.
What could go worng?
The motor is the easy part.
Making it spin long enough to get you somewhere; that’s the hard part.
“This is the Captain. I know it’s below freezing in the Cabin. But I’ve turned the heat off in order to maximize our range, or we’ll have to land in Cincinnati.”
It appears to me this will be a specialty plane with limited range. A Cessna 182 has a typical range of 800 nautical miles depending on configuration.
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