Light electric motorgliders work well in the real world. They’re light, compact, and easily transported to a flying site or back home. Their small battery packs can be charged at home (under safe conditions) and provide enough duration to get the small machines to altitude, where they can explore thermals and ridge lift. Because they are small, they require less materials and are often less expensive than standard-class or larger sailplanes. Because they can self launch, they spare the cost of towplanes and possible chase crews. Economics aside, these craft provide fun flying and fairly untroubled ownership. Birdy We’ve reported on Birdy before. It’s a 120-kilogram airplane, a class that in Europe allows pilots with a sport license and no medical to fly. Its Eck-Geiger motor allows self-launching and one or two 3.6 kilowatt-hour batteries enable driven flight up to 200 kilometers (124 miles). Shown at Aero 2022, Birdy showed its clever cooling system for its mid-ship mounted motor. Its …
