Unither Bioélectronique Celebrates World-First Piloted Hydrogen-Electric Helicopter Circuit Flight
Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM) is celebrating the first ever piloted circuit flight using a hydrogen-electric helicopter, completed by Unither Bioélectronique (UB).
UB Test Pilot Ric Webb piloted the flight, which took place at Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, Québec, on April 10, 2026.
This flight took UB’s hydrogen-electric helicopter testing past a hover flight demonstration, now commencing a full airport traffic circuit, including:
- Controlled takeoff
- Climb
- Pattern flight
- Approach
- Landing
A Robinson R44 test aircraft completed the flight under an experimental flight permit. The aircraft was equipped with a hydrogen-electric PEM fuel-cell-battery architecture and powered by locally produced green hydrogen.
This flight is the most recent step in Unither Bioélectronique’s hydrogen-electric helicopter development program Project Proticity, being pursued in partnership with Robinson Helicopter Company.
Project Proticity was first announced in August 2024, and it focuses on developing zero-emission helicopters based on Robinson’s R44 and R66 helicopter models.
As part of the project, Robinson is contributing:
- Engineering knowledge
- Technical expertise
- Regulatory expertise
Simultaneously, UB is advancing testing toward future certification pathways with Transport Canada Civil Aviation and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
In the spring of 2025, UB completed earlier stages of the project, including:
- The world’s first flight demonstration of a piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter
- Canada’s first piloted hydrogen-powered flight
UB also successfully validated the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cell technology’s ability to support a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) powered-lift profile.
Vice President, Program Management & Business Development, Organ Delivery Systems for Unither Bioélectronique Mikaël Cardinal said, “This milestone shows that piloted hydrogen-electric vertical flight can move from theory to repeatable, safe, real-world testing.”
Cardinal added, “For Unither, the goal is clear: build the aircraft and aerial logistics systems needed to help deliver manufactured organ alternatives to patients in need, while creating a scalable zero-emission transportation network.”
Executive Director of CAAM JR Hammond said, “Unither’s progress is the kind of accountable, operational work Canada needs to lead the next era of aviation.”
Hammond continued, “Hydrogen flight is no longer a distant concept sitting on a roadmap. It is flying, completing circuits, being tested, being learned from, and being built into a pathway for healthcare, emergency response, and regional logistics.”
“CAAM’s role is to help ensure that the ecosystem around this technology—regulation, infrastructure, investment, and public trust—moves with the same urgency,” concluded Hammond.
Unither Bioélectronique (UB) is a CAAM National Board member.