An Electric Motor Lets You Down Easy

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 2 Comments

Having your engine fail in the middle of a flight is an unnerving experience, to say the least.  For buyers or owners of small two and four-passenger aircraft, a new installation might help mitigate the disaster. Miguel Ángel Suárez of Axter Aerospace, a Spanish firm dealing in the application of electronics to private flight, highlights the goal of his firm’s recent development.  “We are trying to save lives and prevent accidents related to loss of power during flights, when the engine fails or the fuel runs out.”  In their video, the University of Charles III of Madrid (UC3M) shows the Axter installation starting its electric motor immediately after a simulated power failure of the Rotax engine on the test Tecnam airplane. The collaboration between the university and the aerospace company comes about at least partially since Suárez is an alumna of the school.   He adds, “We mustn’t forget that every year in Europe and USA there [is] an average of …