Aerospace | A unique alliance between universities and businesses

The Quebec aerospace cluster is doing well at a time of significant technological developments in the sector. From decarbonization to advanced air mobility, the Quebec ecosystem has other advantages than its competitors in Seattle and Toulouse, including a unique collaboration between universities and businesses.

A factory under construction in Longueuil will soon supply electric batteries to flight school planes throughout North America.

The Swiss firm H55 has decided to set up on the South Shore to develop its project aimed at 100% electrifying aircraft intended for flight training. “Today, the flight school application is relevant in full electric mode, because the training consists of repeated takeoffs and landings. The recharge cycle is one hour for one hour of flight,” explains Martin Larose, general manager of H55.

H55 is a spin-off company from Solar Impulse, the prototype solar plane that flew around the world without fuel, using only photovoltaic energy. The firm located in Sion, Switzerland, aims to market electric propulsion systems, making its contribution to the decarbonization of aviation.

The development of H55 in Longueuil clearly illustrates how Quebec manages to establish itself as an attractive territory for innovation. “We have all the necessary players in Quebec. As soon as a field shows potential, industrialists and academics get involved, and it works! Quebec benefits from a large pool of researchers. We have an enormous critical mass in terms of number of students, industrialists and researchers,” underlines Marius Parachivoiu, director of research at the Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation at Concordia University.

Bridges between industries

Martin Larose embodies this combination of skills and experience. This graduate in mechanical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke worked for nearly 18 years at Bombardier, before joining the Volvo Group, becoming the president of Nova Bus in Saint-Eustache, at a time when this subsidiary of the Swedish manufacturer was developing its buses with low greenhouse gas emissions.

“Several electrification principles that I learned in road transport are applicable in aerospace,” emphasizes Martin Larose. The security and certification requirements are quite different. But the importance of energy intensity, system reliability and complex operational layouts are common. »

H55 actively works with several players in the Quebec aerospace industry. The firm is developing the energy storage system for the hybrid electric flight demonstrator of a 49-seat Dash 8 for Pratt & Whitney Canada. It is also responsible for transforming CAE’s training aircraft fleet, made up of 80 Piper Archer aircraft with fully electric propulsion.

The Longueuil plant will host an engineering team responsible for customizing batteries to the needs of different customers. Around thirty positions should be created over the coming year, in addition to the 10 employees already working in Montreal. In their development, companies like H55 can count on the immense regional aerospace labor pool. But not only…

“The aerospace industry benefits from particularly developed related sectors in the province, such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity which are essential to ongoing technological developments,” underlines Carole El Ayoubi, director of education at the Design Institute and aerospace innovation at Concordia University.

Two underlying trends

This is because Quebec players are working hard to meet the two major challenges of decarbonization, through electrification or new fuels, and advanced air mobility, namely drones and electric take-off aircraft. and vertical landing (eVTOL).

The development of H55 in Longueuil is representative of the interest of the Quebec aerospace cluster in decarbonization. “We have an environment that works well between manufacturers, universities and governments, which allows us to have a competitive advantage compared to others [États] where this way of working is less present,” says Mélanie Lussier, CEO of Aéro Montréal.

As for advanced air mobility, half of the current aerospace sector will be present in this new segment by 2040, estimates M^me Lussier. Quebec intends to take advantage of the ability of its stakeholders to work together.

And the next generation is there, as evidenced by Marius Parachivoiu, who notes great interest from students in the space field, particularly through microsatellite competitions. As if, in Montreal, the sky had no limits.