EAS VIII: Barnaby Wainfan and ESTOL Possibilities

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Barnaby Wainfan is an aeronautical engineer with Northrop Grumman and famous for at least two things: his Edison 2, a light car with incredibly low Cd  that won the Progressive Automotive X-Prize in the Mainstream class and his FMX-4 Facetmobile, an airplane that looks like a private pilot’s F-117 and flies stably and safely.  (Video courtesy of Barnaby Wainfan.) Wainfan told the eighth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium audience that short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance is relatively easy, requiring low wing loading and high power.  Efficient (e)STOL is harder. The problem is getting a reasonable cruise speed and good range with the big wing required for short takeoffs and the high drag required for short landings.  He advised his audience to specify the mission, not the aircraft – with the final airplane flowing from the mission. Short takeoff rolls require light wing loading to allow early liftoff at low speeds, and allow best propeller efficiency.  High power allows quick acceleration …