eUP Looks Up and Downloads Data

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

John McClintock, co-founder of eUP Aviation in Lumby, British Columbia, recently spoke with your editor on changes he and Randy Rauck are making to their Electravia-powered hang-glider trike.  They’ve recently campaigned Green1 up and down the Pacific Coast, demonstrating its self-launching and soaring capabilities over California deserts, at Torrey Pines, and in the mountains of Oregon. John was pleased to report that the trike came through that 7,700 kilometer (4,774 mile) bouncing trailer torture test with a perfect bill of health for the e-drive system and its installation. Not content to just enjoy their flights (which they did) the entrepreneur-engineers kept careful records of the details of each flight using an on-board Flytec 5030 hang gliding instrument to collect flying data, and their custom-specified Electravia data display and recording option to capture information for the e-drive system.  eUP Aviation Inc. have expanded the raw data into a Digital Journey Log, which will allow customers to demonstrate the care and use …

A Flying Bike! But the Pilot’s a Real Dummy

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

We reported here last year on a flying bicycle being designed by Duratec Bicycles and Evektor Aviation using Dassault 3D CAD software.  The companies revealed their actual flying demonstrator at a press conference this week, but the pilot stood nearby with a radio control transmitter while a mannequin was flown around the large room. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUUmRXNR52M For now, it can do that for only five minutes, but Michael Duchek, technical director for Duratec, has hope.  “Because the capacity of batteries doubles about every ten years, we can expect that in the future the capacity would be enough for the bike to be used for sports, tourism or similar things” Its six propellers arranged much like a quadrotor, currently popular with design teams intent on delivering tacos, burritos, pizzas and even sushi by air, the bike’s greater weight and bulk make it more of a handful to fly.  Pilot Jan Spatny says, “It’s not as easy (to control) as a toy or …

Longer Life and More Energy

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Who wouldn’t want both?  Researchers in Germany and America are making great inroads on lithium battery energy density, while  adding some hope that batteries may someday outlast the vehicle in which they are installed. Ulm, Germany, where the Berblinger Competition encourages economical flight, may be a resource for making such flight possible.  The Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und WasserstoffForschung Baden-Württemberg (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, ZSW), has announced what they claim to be world-beating cells in terms of cycle life. Dr. Margret Wohlfahrt-Mehrens, Head of the Accumulator Material Research Department in Ulm reports, “After 10,000 complete charging and discharging cycles with a complete charge and discharge cycle per hour (2 C), our lithium batteries still have more than 85 % of the initial capacity.” This would be equivalent to a full charge and discharge cycle every day for over 27 years. With active materials exclusively from Germany, the Ulm battery competes with those manufactured in Asia for power …

Randall Fishman’s ElectraFlyer ULS – a Gateway Plane

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 2 Comments

Appearing before attendees at the 2013 Electric Aircraft Symposium, Randall Fishman’s spoke of great accomplishments and grander visions.  “ElectraFlyer ULS & Electric Ultralight Airplanes, the path to approval for all electric aircraft?” showed ElectraFlyer’s history and the ambitions Randall would like to play out. A pioneer in ultralights, Randall has been flying hang gliders since 1972, produced the first continuously powered electric aircraft, flew the first electric airplane at Oshkosh’s AirVenture and claims a primary interest of bringing practical, user-friendly electric flight to as many people as possible. Between 2005 and 2007, he designed, built and test flew his first electrically-powered trike.  Making its first take-off on April 29, 2007, by May 2 it had made a one-hour flight.  Ever more venturesome, Randall modified a Moni motorglider with an electric motor and flew that at AirVenture in 2008, for which he won both the Stan Dzik Memorial Award for innovation and the Dr. August Raspet Memorial Award for “outstanding contribution to …

Stanford scientists develop high-efficiency zinc-air battery

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Battery researchers, including those at Stanford University, have been focusing for years on improving lithium batteries of multiple chemistries.  While IBM tries to create the 500-mile battery based on lithium-air reactions, and ReVolt in Portland works on perfecting a long-lasting zinc-air cell, Stanford researcher Hongjie Dai and his team claim to have “developed an advanced zinc-air battery with higher catalytic activity and durability than similar batteries made with costly platinum and iridium catalysts.” The resulting battery, detailed in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Communications, could be the forerunner of something with greater endurance and lower cost than current efforts. Mark Schwartz, writing for Stanford, quotes Dai, a professor of chemistry at the University and lead author of the study: “There have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications.  Metal-air batteries offer a possible low-cost solution.” Lithium-ion batteries, despite their limited energy density (energy stored per …

Making Graphene and Carbon Fibers Even Lighter and Stronger

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

While scientists at Columbia University have used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to create large sheets of stronger-than-average graphene, a research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found ways to weave stronger carbon nanotubes. James Hone and Jeffrey Kysar, professors of mechanical engineering at Columbia University, learned that the enormous strength of graphene is usually achieved in only small patches.  The “grain boundaries” for larger sheets were often far weaker than the theoretical strengths of which the material is capable. That strength is phenomenal.  Hone explains, “It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap.” Results of their study were published in the journal Science. The paper’s lead author, Gwan-Hyoung Lee, a postdoctoral fellow in the Hone lab, says, “Our findings clearly correct the mistaken consensus that grain boundaries of graphene are weak. This is great news because graphene offers such a plethora of opportunities both for …

Two Crossings of the U. S. in Opposite Directions

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

While Solar Impulse prepares for a third leg of its Across America flight, two intrepid motorcyclists are on their way or preparing to depart on similar, but ground-bound traversals. Terry Hershner reported on his “Life Off the Grid” Facebook page, “On the edge of the Pacific Ocean, moments from Mexico, officially leaving the west coast at 1:40 am Friday May 31st.”  By Saturday afternoon, he was well past El Paso, scurrying at the 70 mph he’s been maintaining through the trip so far, but only when he’s moving.  Three incidents have brought him to a stop for varying periods.  One unintentional “off-roader” near Gila Bend, Arizona tied up the eastbound lane for an hour while  police removed his vehicle from the road. Outside Lourdsburg, New Mexico in the early morning, he texted, “Going ‘Zero’ mph for the last 45 minutes. A drunk driver hit the bridge and the highway patrol shut down I-10 so a life flight helicopter could land. …

Cella Packages Hydrogen in Usable Ways

Dean Sigler Diesel Powerplants, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Cella Energy, a UK-based energy company, announced big plans for hydrogen storage in early 2011, and is now beginning to deliver on its earlier promise. Hydrogen, as desirable as it is for use in transportation, presents many hurdles in its use.  Creating an infrastructure for its distribution has been a major impediment so far, but Cella hopes to overcome that with its nanotechnology pellets that can be distributed, transported and used much like fossil-fuel liquids. Cella highlights the fact that the hydrogen is stored in low-pressure form at ambient temperatures and can be handled safely in the open air (something that can’t be said about gasoline, for instance).  It benefits customers by being able to use existing distribution networks and outlets.  Imagine a gas station or airport refueling truck that dispenses hydrogen in pellet form as well as the normal liquid fuels. The company’s “elevator pitch” promotes the “three minute, 300 mile rule.”  We’re used to pulling into a gas …

Verticopter® Now Elytair

Dean Sigler Diesel Powerplants, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Oliver Garrow has been working with a convertiplane design concept since 2007, and has flown over 100 “sorties” with large scale models to test the concept and demonstrate flight characteristics. Reported here in 2010, the aircraft initially looked a bit like an annular-wing configuration with pivoting engines or electric motors for lift and propulsion.  Now, in its most current version, it looks a bit more like a box wing design with pivoting propulsion.  Oliver’s company has changed its name from Verticopter to Elytair.  As explained in company literature, “Elytair, named with the goal to offer Elite personnel Air transportation solutions, will be offered as a design platform through selective licensing agreements, for either manned or unmanned applications.” As with the Verticopter, the Elytair can land and take off in every conceivable mode; conventional take-offs and landings (CTOL), vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and short take-offs and vertical landings (STOVL).  As with helicopters, Elytair can hover, but because it can pivot …

Solar Impulse Tries for Absolute World Distance Record

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Starting with a pre-dawn blessing by a native American chief in Phoenix, Arizona and ending with a press conference in Texas, which included a charming interview between Bertrand Piccard and a young Dallas boy who would have to wait until fall to tell his elementary school mates about his inspiring meeting, Solar Impulse achieved a potential world distance record for solar-powered aircraft. Before takeoff, André Borschberg performed yoga meditations, which led next to an ecumenical moment before he climbed aboard Solar Impulse. The project’s blog noted, “What made today’s departure so unique was the presence of a Native American Medicine Man, Delmar Boni, of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Dressed in traditional clothing with a beautiful crown of feathers partially covering his face, Delmar circled around the pilots, thumb painted yellow, while chanting a pleasant tune. “He blessed today’s pilot, André (Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse), and the wings that will carry him on his journey to Texas. …