Dr. Seeley alerted your editor this morning that Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman’s web site, Tested.com, featured an entry on electric aircraft, “Fuel-Free Flight: the State of Electric Airplanes,” by Terry Dunn. Dunn does a good job of covering history and advantages of electric aircraft – complete with a quote from Dr. Seeley about the good neighbor aspect of quiet electric airplanes. He also discusses the barriers to electric aircraft development beyond current motor gliders and light aircraft – mainly the question of obtaining batteries that have much better energy densities than those currently available. “The batteries currently available are adequate to provide suitable range for some flyers. As the pool of available batteries improves, so will the range of electric aircraft and the number of pilots who embrace them. Despite continued progress, I think that a ground-breaking battery breakthrough is necessary before electric powered airplanes can become commonplace in the near term.” Despite the obstacles, he notes that the …
e-Genius, Klaus Ohlmann Set Records, Records, Records!
“Records, Records, Records!” heads the news on the Institut for Flugzeugbau (IFB) web site this morning. The sub-head reads, “Experienced hands plus a high-performance airplane plus one week equals seven world records.” Admitting to fuzzy math, the writer still draws a clear line to the seven records. Klaus and e-Genius spent the third week of July in Seeres – La Bâtie, France where they achieved seven FAI (Fédération Aéronautique International) World Records in the Category of Electric Airplanes. According to the IFB, “In two flights (July 18th and 19th) he attained: – Speed on a 100 km round trip : 178.1 kilometers per hour (96 knots, or 110.4 mph) – Speed on a 500 km round trip : 93.03 km/h (50 kt – 57.5 mph) – Distance of 504 km (312 miles) – Absolute altitude of 6,376 m MSL (20,918 feet) – Time to climb to 6,000 m (20,000ft) : 1:53 min (an average of about 177 feet per minute) …
Sion Power, Airbus, UAE Team Up to Set Dubai Altitude Record
First, let’s get the new acronym out of the way. The solar-powered flyer recently setting records in Dubai is part of the Airbus High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) program. One headline led off with “What’s the HAPS?” leaving your editor saddened by not having thought of it first. Such craft were previously referred to as HALEs (High Altitude Long Endurance) platforms. It’s also part of the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), a kind of Middle-Eastern STEM program promoting technological advancement and sustainable development in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The airplane set three world records in 2010, flying over the desert Southwest in America as part of Qinetiq’s development program. It managed 336 hours 22 minutes and 8 seconds then, but has added a record 61,696 feet altitude to its accomplishments during a 23 hour, 47 minute flight over Dubai, the highest flight so far in the UAE. Gizmag noted the flight was the first time …
WATTsUP at Pipistrel
No, that’s a statement and not a question. Taja Boscarol of Pipistrel sent the following announcement this morning. WATTsUP, their new two-seat electric trainer took its maiden flight on August 8th. As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Pipistrel will display the airplane at the Salon de Blois airshow, France, on 30-31 August 2014. This is the third announcement of an electric trainer by a major aircraft manufacturer, counting Airbus with its anticipated e-Fan developments and American Electric Aircraft Corporation (AEAC) with its Sun Flyer. We could count four with Adventure Aircraft’s EMG-6 under development in California for the ultralight market. This would mark a potentially historic turnaround for General Aviation, with promised operating costs significantly lower than for internal-combustion powered machines, and by inference, lower rental costs for student pilots. One of the most exciting parts of the announcement – the price: “Pipistrel expects to bring the final product to the market in 2015 with a target price below …
PADA Lectures Highlight Innovation
The 2014 Personal Aircraft Design Academy (PADA) dinner and awards ceremony, the latter held in the Vette Theater at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Museum, highlighted design innovation and the possible commercial exploitation of new technology. Dr. Brien Seeley, Founder and President of the CAFE Foundation, hosted the evening and introduced your CAFE blog editor, who gave an overview of innovations in aircraft, avionics and powerplants he’d encountered on his daily hikes around Wittman Field. Dr. Seeley had the honor of presenting this year’s PADA trophy to John O’Leary, Vice President and General Manager of Airbus Americas Engineering (AAE), for the parent company’s development of the E-Fan, a twin-motored personal airplane that has been a highlight of the Paris and Farnborough air shows. With the flying displays behind it, the proof-of-concept machine will be the basis for two-seat (E-Fan 2.0) and four-seat (4.0) production variants that will bring smooth electric power to private flight. The two-seater, which can double as a …
EAS VIII: Dr. Jaiwon Shin Brings NASA to CAFE
The CAFE Foundation was honored this year to have Dr. Jaiwon Shin, Associate Director for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), speak at the eighth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium. His responsibilities at the agency, and his earnest regard for CAFE and its direction were evident during his talk. According to his NASA biography, “Dr. Jaiwon Shin… manages the agency’s aeronautics research portfolio and guides its strategic direction. This portfolio includes research in the fundamental aeronautics of flight, aviation safety and the nation’s airspace system.” Such tasks include overseeing the next generation (NextGen) air traffic control system, funding promising research projects, crafting policies that will assure ongoing progress in creating cleaner, safer flight vehicles, and coordinating such activities with congress and other government agencies. He pointed out that the first “A” in NASA stands for “Aeronautics,” the agency’s first major area of research and policy making. Dr. Shin noted that the Wrights brought us powered, controlled …
The Personal Aircraft Design Academy – IMPORTANT UPDATE!
Brien A.Seeley M.D., PADA Program Chair and President of the CAFE Foundation, sends the following invitation. The highlight of Oshkosh AirVenture for me each year is the Personal Aircraft Design Academy (PADA), whose casual, delicious, catered buffet ‘networking’ dinner is followed by its colloquium for leading aircraft designers, enthusiasts and aero engineers. Several of the renowned previous PADA Trophy recipients are expected to dine and attend PADA 2014, where we will reveal and honor the 12th annual recipient of the perpetual PADA Trophy. For 2014, the presentation program will feature two exciting new aircraft: Richard Hogan from Commutercraft will present ‘The Innovator—a New 3–‐surface Aircraft’ and Oliver Garrow will present the technical details of a new tilt‐wing VTOL aircraft—the Elytron.” The 2014 PADA dinner will be at 6:15 PM on Friday August 1, at the large, white Nature Tent #3, which is in the wooded area about ¼ mile East of the EAA Museum. The PADA colloquium presentations, which are open …
EAS VIII: High Torque, Efficiency and Powerful Motors
David Calley heads Planet Rider LLC, a design group working on a highly innovative three-wheel commuter vehicle that combines pedaling, electric power and aerodynamics to make for an exciting ride. Any resemblance between this machine and the average e-bike is like the difference between an early Rogallo wing and the Archaeopteryx. He has made a significant notch in fuel savings for big rig trucks with the angular extensions you see on tailgates of trailers cruising America’s highways. Fuel savings of five percent or more are a boon to fleet operators, thanks to Calley’s patented design, now manufactured by ATDynamics. He is also a member of the CAFE Foundation’s advisory board. Thus, it was informative to see his presentation at the eighth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium. His work on low-RPM motors using his simple transverse flux motor design enables excellent power and high torque from light-weight, compact motors. This fits the need to swing big, slow propellers for applications such as …
Even in Second Place, VC200 Dominates Awards
Volocopter has evolved from a pilot sitting on a Pilates ball surrounded by multiple model airplane motors to the VC200 – the first Volocopter to carry two people, according to parent company e-volo. As recipient of a 2 million euros grant from the federal ministry of economics and technology, e-volo has worked with a research and industry syndicate to craft the VC200. A sleeker, more finished-looking project than the original flight vehicle, the VC200 held pride of place 15 meters above the crowd attending the “GreenTec Awards” in Berlin, Europe’s largest environmental and economic prize. Completed just in time for the event, and assembled in the auditorium where it received its award, the first prototype of the VC200 was an ever-present reminder of its green credentials. Although the little “David” company earned a second place award, with “Goliath” Airbus taking top honors, “We are proud that we are placed tightly behind a global player such as Airbus,” said e-volo-CEO Alexander …
Would You Believe There Are Four Electric Cri-Cri’s?
Three electric MC-15 Colomban Cri-Cri’s have been flying for at least the last two years. Jean-Luc Soullier created one which flew with Plettenberg model motors. Airbus crafted one with four Rotex motors and counter-rotating propellers on each mount. Anne Lavrand’s Electravia converted a Cri-Cri to use her motors for speed record attempts. Now they are joined by the MC-15E built by Mr. Toon Jacobs and shown at the Federation RSA ( Network of Sport Air ) Rally 2013 in Vichy, France. The RSA, as one would guess, is the French equivalent of America’s Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Electravia provided the E-Motor GMPE 104 motors, controllers, E=Helices 370 gram (one pound, 13 ounces), 83 centimeter (32.7 inches) propellers and the E-Batts 3 kilowatt-hour battery pack. An Electravia E-Screen instrument monitors battery charge, temperature, and motor temperatures. Powerplants match those developed in 2010 for Cri-Cri Yankee Delta in which Hugues Duval set a world speed record for electric aircraft before a huge crowd at the 2011 Paris Air …