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- Ampyx - Model AP3 - Demonstrator
Ampyx - Model AP3 -Demonstrator
Pre-commercial demonstrator AP3 consists of an aircraft, a tether, a launch and land platform and a power generation system.
Program Objectives
AP3 focuses on fully automatic operation, safety and predictable performance. Its architecture has been developed to be certifiable and scalable to the commercial system.
Test Objectives
Objectives of the test and verification campaign at the RWE test site in Ireland are fully automatic power generation cycles and to accumulate flight hours in 24/7 all-weather conditions.
“Drop-in” philosophy
Flight Control System demonstrated in AP3 is ready to be “dropped-in” to commercial products without additional development.
Scalable Landing Concept
Centimeter-precision conventional landing is already achieved on our AP2 test program to enable future AP3 operations.
Stepping stone for commercial successors
- Our demonstrator AP3 will already prove full functionality and safe operation
- The architecture, autopilot and software are designed for commercial systems
- With AP3 flight data we can reliably predict the power curve of our commercial system
- The team is already structured with processes to develop certified commercial products
Scaling up will primarily concern more wing surface and larger generators.
We perform regular flight testing to verify control algorithms and to validate system design.
Ampyx Power Flight Operations have performed hundreds of flight test campaigns with 8 prototypes since 2009. The first series of prototypes (AP1, 10kW, grid connected) demonstrated automatic crosswind power generation in 2011. Since 2013 the second-generation prototypes (AP2, 20kW, grid connected) proved autonomy in all operational modes within a wide range of environmental conditions. Recently AP2 has also been used as test-bed for the AP3 Flight Control System.
Flight Operations Center Kraggenburg
We cooperate closely with local stakeholders and authorities to acquire all necessary approvals and restricted airspace for our test site.
Ampyx Power complies with the highest safety standards and actively shapes the regulatory framework.
Engaging with authorities to maximise safety
In keeping with our commitment to safe and reliable commercial operations, we maintain an open dialogue with regulatory authorities. In this way we help to inform this new regulatory landscape with input on key topics such as airworthiness, design organization, operational procedures, and certification.
Design processes lead to better learning and lower cost
Our processes provide traceability in case of issues, which facilitates essential activities like root cause analysis and increases transparency across the project. By subscribing to a systematic development approach we’ve achieved more efficient design convergence as well as better learning and improvement possibilities. This has resulted in improved planning capabilities and lower end-to-end development cost.
Certification
The appropriate certification standard for our products is based on aviation safety requirements. Together with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), we began the certification process of our commercial system in 2016, already integrating future certification requirements in pre-commercial systems. The demonstrator (AP3) design includes the avionics, system architecture and safety approach for a certifiable product.