A Boxy (Motor) Glider That Delivers

Dean Sigler Electric Aircraft Materials, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Chip Yates used the same UQM motor on his record-breaking Pikes Peak and Bonneville Salt Flats motorcycle and his modified Long-Eze aircraft (Long-ESA for Electric Speed and Altitude).  He planned an ekectric trans-Atlantic flight using an audacious concept for mid-air recharging.  A bit quiet for the last several years, Chip has come up with a boxy glider, a load carrier that will, at some point, use the same kind of UQM motor with which he set so many records. The Silent Arrow GD-2000 Capable of hauling 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds) to front-line troops, or emergency supplies to otherwise inaccessible disaster zones, the GD-2000 Silent Arrow allows delivery of heavy cargo from a range of aircraft and helicopters. Yates Electrospace lists the following specifications for the GD-2000. Gross Weight: 2,000lbs (907 kg) -Cargo Weight: 1,631lbs (740 kg) Cargo Volume: 26cu/ft (.75 cu/m) Glide Ratio: 8.4:1 Stall Speed @1,000lbs: 62kts, @2,000lbs: 92kts Standoff: 40 miles Logistics: 28ft wingspan (4 spring-deployed wings) stowed …

HOMER and PEACE Offer Quieter, Smoother Flight: Part One

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

A European-based consortium of academic and industrial groups take a very old idea, add a plasma system that seems to be nearly science fiction, whip them together and create quiet, efficient, vector-controlled flight.  That’s the promise, although it seems a bit much to take in all at once.  But the folks at the ACHEON (Aerial Coanda High Efficiency Orienting-jet Nozzle) project seem to think they have a potential winner here.  ACHEON represents two other acronyms, so let’s define those first. The original idea for the project was part of H. O. M. E. R., not of the Simpsons, or even of epic Greek poetry, but of the “High-speed Orienting Momentum with Enhanced Reversibility” variety.  Combine that with P. E. A. C. E., the “Plasma Enhanced Actuator for Coanda Effect” with a low moving-parts count, and you get a method for enhancing flow, increasing thrust and vectoring that thrust for smoother, quieter rides and better maneuverability. Aerospazio Campania thinks the key …