Electric aviation has reached a milestone that once seemed reserved for much smaller aircraft. Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator has completed its first flight, becoming the largest battery-electric aircraft ever to take to the skies. The aircraft flew from Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on August 12, marking a significant step toward bringing electric propulsion to the scale of regional air travel.

The X1 is not intended to become a passenger aircraft itself. Instead, it is a full-scale technology demonstrator for Heart Aerospace’s ES-30, a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft currently under development. Its purpose is to validate the propulsion system, aerodynamics, flight performance, and other technologies that will eventually be carried into the production aircraft.

Designer: Heart Aerospace

For a prototype, the X1 is quite substantial. It has a 106-foot wingspan, measures 76 feet from nose to tail, and weighs more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff. Four electric motors provide propulsion, drawing their energy entirely from onboard batteries during the test flight. The maiden flight lasted 27 minutes and included taxiing, takeoff, climb, maneuvering, and landing. The aircraft reached 1,100 feet above ground while its electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power. The test was conducted under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category, with the flight kept within a controlled test envelope.

Perhaps the most striking detail is the reported energy cost. Heart Aerospace says the flight used approximately $5 worth of electricity. That figure covers the battery-powered flight operation, while some reporting notes that electricity consumed during ground taxiing would need to be considered separately. Even with that distinction, the demonstration offers a tangible illustration of the potential operating-cost advantage of electric propulsion over conventional aircraft fuel.

The limitations, though, have still to be kept in mind, as batteries still cannot provide the energy density required for longer regional flights. That is why the production ES-30 will use a hybrid-electric architecture rather than relying entirely on batteries. Heart Aerospace is targeting an all-electric range of about 124–125 miles, while hybrid operation is expected to extend the range to roughly 497–500 miles. The aircraft is designed to carry 30 passengers and has a battery recharge time of around 30 minutes.

Heart expects the ES-30 to reduce operating costs by more than 40 percent compared with legacy regional aircraft, combining lower energy costs with simpler electric propulsion, reduced maintenance requirements, and potentially greater reliability and aircraft availability. Airlines including United Airlines and Air Canada have committed to the program, with total customer commitments reported at $9.4 billion.

The first pre-production ES-30 is already being developed at Heart Aerospace’s Los Angeles pilot manufacturing plant, with flight testing scheduled for 2028 and entry into service targeted for 2031. The X1’s 27-minute flight does not make electric commercial aviation a finished proposition, but it unearths something more fundamental. Battery-powered propulsion can now lift an aircraft approaching regional-airliner scale off a runway and enable a controlled flight. That is a feat in itself!

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For a very long time, the world was fixated on horizontal vinyl players that took up a premium space on a table. Just recently, the tide has started shifting in favor of vertical record players that are designed to stand out instead of blending in. The new entrant in the category already explored by designer Fatih Demirci, CoolGeek, and Dutch Hi-Fi maker Miniot, is Ruka Studio – a Los Angeles-based company that was founded in 2024.

Relatively new in its existence, Ruka makes its presence felt with the wealth of experience that forms the DNA of the brand. Reportedly, Ruka Studio was founded by a group of former Apple engineers and designers, so a high-end turntable with a premium finish would be a given. But that’s not where it’s stopping; the company has launched its first vertical turntable called the TD-1.

Designer: Ruka Studio

Designed as a turntable that mounts vertically on the wall, or stands upright on a floor stand, it becomes part of the room instead of taking over a table. The TD-1 can spin a vinyl record vertically, which is a treat to the eye and food for thought for your mind. The design is pretty seamless, and you’re left wondering how the giant disk is actually spinning without gravity acting upon it.

If you’re someone who holds your record collection dear and as a reflection of who you are. The TD-1 is conceived with the idea of enhancing that experience like no other has done before. Yes, there have been vertical record players we have seen in our time, but the Ruka’s model is a standout, thanks to its aluminum body and visibly enticing mechanical switches and knobs that turn and click to control playback, adjust the record’s rotational speed, and also to pair the device with a speaker system over Bluetooth. It also comes with wired output to connect with a hi-fi system.

When everyone is trying to integrate AI and convenient remote control via dedicated apps, the TD-1 remains as analog as the record playing was meant to be. The most it gets away from the analog commitment is to stream your vinyl records to a wireless Bluetooth speaker or compatible earbuds.

To make how it looks placed vertically more exciting, the TD-1 arrives with a rubber-coated magnetic plate that holds the record against the wall to appear as if it were floating in mid-air. To ensure you are not hassled with getting the placement straight, it comes with a built-in spirit level. The player features a swappable moving-magnet cartridge, which the company says should allow users to select the cartridge they want, of course for an additional cost from the device itself. The TD-1 turntable itself is belt-drive. The motor has been de-coupled from the acrylic platter to minimize vibration, ensuring smoother and quieter playback.

Ruka Studio TD-1 is available to preorder now starting at a reserve price of $100 on the company’s website. It is priced at $1,399, and preordered models are expected to ship in 2027. The $100 credit is fully refundable or will be adjusted in the final price when a device is shipped.

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