We’d all love to have a hybrid electric airplane – inexpensive to fly with great range and guilt-free airport hamburgers. Jeffrey Engler, who heads an innovative project devoted to green aviation, explains: “Our plan is to convert a Piper Cherokee, Cessna 172, or similar light four-seater to electric hybrid power. The airplane should be airworthy with a serviceable engine and avionics. We don’t want a hangar queen or an airport relic – just a flyable, reasonable example at a reasonable price.” Aeronautics students at Purdue University, as part of their graduate work, are backing this program. Jeffrey reports, “The rock stars at Purdue presented their first interim report yesterday, including a background on electric aviation and their initial evaluation of the Cherokee retrofit. It’s too early to say where the numbers will come out, but we’re excited for their detailed analyses and recommendations in March. Here’s their deck (link). Congrats team!” (Editor’s Note: It’s apparent the students have done their homework. The presentation shows …
