Sint-Truiden (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – At DronePort in Sint-Truiden, Cosmic Aerospace successfully flew the CX-2, a 1:10 scale Skylark with 32 electric motors, testing regional electric flight potential. CEO Ward Decaluwe highlighted its breakthrough impact.
As VRT News reported, at DronePort in Sint-Truiden, Europe saw the first successful demonstration flights of a scale-model electric passenger aircraft. The aircraft, called the CX-2, is a 1:10 scale replica of the Skylark and has a wingspan of around 4.5 meters.
The model is an exact copy of the planned full-scale aircraft. The demonstration flights took place at the regional airport in Brustem. They tested the aircraft’s aerodynamics, control systems, and overall performance.
What could CX-2’s 32-motor flight in Sint-Truiden mean for regional travel?
“The wings are noticeably longer to accommodate all 32 electric motors,”
said Ward Decaluwe, CEO of DronePort. The long wings will allow it to fly at high speeds similar to jet aircraft while remaining sustainable. Cosmic Aerospace believes electric aviation is the future for regional airports.
“This new aircraft concept opens the door to a new form of mobility and has the potential to create a market that doesn’t yet exist,”
says Marshall Gusman, Chief Technical Officer at Cosmic Aerospace.
Officials mentioned that electric aircraft like the Skylark are creating a new market for affordable, fast, and sustainable air travel from regional airports. These airports often do not have commercial flights because of strict noise and emission rules. They are, however, usually closer to travellers’ final destinations and can be reached faster than major national airports. According to Gusman, Europe has about 2,300 regional airports, while the United States has more than 5,000.
“This demonstration flight is a breakthrough for aviation.”
Ward Decaluwe, CEO of DronePort
Ward Decaluwe described the CX-2 demonstration flight as an important step for aviation. He compared the project to the impact Tesla had on the car industry. He noted that electric flying is not yet suitable for long international routes but is viable for short regional distances.
Belgian-American startup Cosmic Aerospace has chosen DronePort in Sint-Truiden as its base for further developing the full-scale prototype. Whether the final aircraft will be built at the same site has not yet been decided, but DronePort will remain central to the next stages of the project.
Other similar initiatives to Cosmic Aerospace’s CX-2 have been initiated over the last couple of years, exploring electric or hybrid-electric regional aircraft. Swedish startup Heart Aerospace’s ES-30 is a hybrid-electric airliner that will seat 30 passengers. In September 2024, Heart Aerospace revealed the first full-scale demonstrator of the ES-30.
In the U.S., Electra and Surf Air Mobility completed demonstrations of their ultra-short takeoff and landing hybrid-electric aircraft in August 2025 at Virginia Tech. NASA has been testing hybrid-electric propulsion with its Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration program on a modified De Havilland Dash 7. Ampaire’s Electric EEL, a hybrid-electric aircraft for regional flights, completed long-range demonstration flights in December 2023.
