A Hybrid Motorized Ultralight Sailplane

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Dr. Paul Robertson of the University of Cambridge has been sorting out the necessary components and relationships to make hybrid-electric-gasoline aircraft a practical reality for the last several years.  His Photonics and Sensors group at the University researches many areas of optics and electronics, including holography and “nano-photonic structures,” with hybrid flight last on the long list of studies.  The blog has been reporting on his aeronautical activities since 2009, including what turned out to be the second and third electric aircraft flights in England, and the first flight of an electric-gas hybrid in a modified Alatus motorglider. The current aircraft uses larger power components and is a bit more sophisticated.  In fact, an external view would not give away the uniqueness of what nests inside.  Its operation has a unique flavor, too – it’s the first ever, according to reports, that can recharge its batteries in flight. The parallel hybrid system, built by Cambridge technicians, can pull power from …