Flight tests of a 1:9 scale model of the prospective hydrogen seaplane PHA-ZE 100 have started in Switzerland — a project that began in Samara. The designers of the innovative passenger amphibious aircraft are Sergey and Georgy Alafinovs — father and son, whose engineering achievements in aviation originated in Russia back in the 2000s.
Sergey Alafinov, who has been designing amphibious aircraft for over two decades, founded the company "AeroVolga" in Russia in 2002, which created two successful aircraft: the two-seater Borey and the eight-seater LA-8. The latter became a true symbol of Russian aviation identity — in 2018, it was on the LA-8 that Sergey made the first round-the-world flight in history across the North Pole on an amphibious aircraft of his own design.
Today, the Alafinovs, having transferred their experience abroad, are working under the flag of the Swiss company JEKTA.
The new project — PHA-ZE 100 — is a fully electric passenger seaplane, the energy for which is generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Development has been underway since 2017, and the recently built model is already demonstrating its flight characteristics.
Despite its Swiss registration and international focus, the PHA-ZE 100 remains a product of the Russian engineering school, combining the traditions of domestic aircraft construction with advanced technologies.
LA-8 — an eight-seater amphibious aircraft developed by specialists of the scientific and production association LLC NPO "AeroVolga" in Samara in 2004.