1comet Microlift Sailplane

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

1comet is a recent member of the ultralight sailplane community, and one with outstanding performance in the refined arena of microlift.  Its makers proclaim its mission: “1comet AG was founded on the belief that pure flight is one of the most beautiful forms of freedom ever created.” Since microlift combines a craft’s ability to circle tightly in small thermals (columns of warm, rising air), 1comet is designed to exploit even such weak “updrafts” and return extended flights.  Wikipedia informs us, “A microlift glider is a recreational glider that is able to exploit microlift, which is lift weaker than a conventional glider would require to stay airborne.” Wikipedia lists nine such craft: Advanced Aeromarine Sierra Aériane Swift Bailey-Moyes Tempest EEL ULF 1 Glidersport LightHawk Maupin Carbon Dragon Ruppert Archaeopteryx Neutrino 1comet All fall, nzturally, into the ultralight class, a great accomplishment for machines with greater wingspans than most in that class. An interview with Donat Bösch helps highlight the lightweight sailplane’s salient features.  Initial design by Martin Hepperle …

Beta Flies at Oshkosh, Farnborough

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Hybrid Aircraft, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

A Hit on Two Continrnts Beta Technologies’ Alia CX-300 displayed its form and function at AirVenture 2026 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and at the Farnborough International Air Show in England.  The static and aerial exhibitions marked Beta’s ongoing devolopment of its aircraft, charging technology and network, and partnerships throughout America and Europe, and in much of the rest of the world. Beta at AirVenture The Beta Alia was on display outside the Innovation Pavillion and in the air during the evening air shows, its quiet passes in marked contrast to the raucous noise from other aircraft. A bit long at 17 minutes, and a demonstration of Flight Chops’ aerial photography acumen, the video manages to highlight Alia’s economy of operation.  $2.40 for the six-minure air show routine would not cover the cost of taxiing even an ultralight from the flight line to the runway.  That Kyle Clark could perform a full-power sequence,  return to Appleton (about 25 miles north) and land …

The Blanik Urfin: Electric and Self-Launching

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

The Blanik Urfin is a 120-kilogram (264.5 pounds) categopry self-launchig sailplane, its 22 kilowatt (29.4 horsepower motor and five-blade  1,26 meter (4.13 feet)-diameter propeller, capable of lofting it to soaring altitude at 4.5 meters per second (787 feet per minute).   The little Urfin (named after a playful Czech folk character) was shown at this year’s Aero Friedrichshafen, and takes its place amoug severual ultralight soaring machines, all self launching. The airplane’s 13.5-meter ( 44.3 feet)wingspan enables a 29:1 glide ratio, meaning a pilot can perform modest cross-country flights in a reasonable time.  One advantage of having a readily-called-upon motor and instantly-reactive propeller is the ability to avoid outlandings in potentially hazardous terrain.  The thrust from the propeller centered on the aircraft’s boom reduces the need for any major trim changes, an advantage for novice pilots.  One could even us lower throttle settings to emulate higher performance sailplanes, extending the glide ration and overalo performance.  This would also consume the 5.4 …

China Follows New Battery Paths

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Does China own the EV battery market?  One may be forgiven for thinking that lithium batteries have problems that cloud their future.  Battery makers worldwide are struggling to solve these problems, but China seems to have taken the lead in breakthroughs. One of the country’s biggest competitors may be Finland’s Donut Lab, which has been promoting its 400-Watt-hour-per-kilogram cells, claiming the ability to be recharged 100,000 times.   Chinese competition may not disprove these claims, but seem to up the ante. A Chinese Consortium China may have a much bigger competitor in personnel and resources with its consortium of battery and automotive manufacturers. CASIP, or the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform.  CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited). is probably the largest company involved, with 37.9 percent of the 2024 total world battery market in its sales profile.  Other battery manufacturers include  CALB, EVE Energy, SVOLT, Gotion High-Tech, and BYD’s battery subsidiary, FinDreams Battery.  Several state-owned auto makers are involved, as …

Where in the World is Beta Alia N314BT?

Dean Sigler Announcements, Electric Aircraft Components, Electric Powerplants, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Beta Alia N314BT is now part of Bristow’s fleet at Stavanger Airport in Denmark.  Bristow is self-described as, “the world’s leading provider of helicopter transportation to energy customers, search and rescue (SAR) and aircraft support solutions to government and civil organizations.”  The company serves clients in Africa, the Americas, Australia, and throughout Europe.  In this northern-most location, Beta Alias could deliver personnel, equipment, and supplies to even more remote locales. Initiating the Grand Tour Beta’s Alia arrived by ship at Shannon Airport, Ireland in May 2025, ready for its Grand Tour of Europe.  Beta pilots flew a series of sub-300-mile hops on their way north on what would prove to be a delivery flight.  After delighting the locals with trips brushing the cliffs along the airport site, the pilots prepared for a 153 nautical mile VFR (Visual Flight Rules) jaunt.  This, and each subsequent hop added to the over 100,000 miles Beta craft have accumulated in the last few years. …

Joby Bay Area Demo Starts a Tour

Dean Sigler Announcements, Autonomous Aircraft, Electric Powerplants, Fuel Cells, hydrogen, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

A Bay Area Feat Joby Aviation flew its “FAA conforming” JAS4-1 N547JX in the Bay Area and beyond this week, the first of many demonstration flights it will perform nationwide as part of its Electric Skies Tour. “Conforming,” according to Flying magazine, “Means that the model aligns with Joby’s agency-approved airworthiness criteria and test plans. In other words, it is representative of the aircraft the company intends to certify and operate.” Flying around San Francisco brought out the local news crews, but Joby had a sentimental journey to reward its workers with a view of their long-term achievement. Landing at a quarry near the original Woodpeacker Ridge compound that was JoeBen Bevirt’s home and workshop, N545JX was welcomed by a crowd of workers and their families, alsways prominent in company events.  The Woodpecker Ridge site held probably less than three dozen workers in 2012, many of them grounds keepers and gardeners.  The blog has reported on personnel growth since then …

XPRIZE Wildfire Finalists

Dean Sigler Announcements, Autonomous Aircraft, Electric Powerplants, satellites, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

The XPrize Foundation had a significant announcement last week, the five finalists in the Wildfire Detection and Suppression Challange. The Foundation describes the wildfire competition this way: “Competitors in the Autonomous Wildfire Response Track are developing fully autonomous solutions to detect and suppress a high-risk fire in 10 minutes or less over a large, environmentally complex area roughly the size of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose combined, while avoiding decoy fires—a challenge that has never been tackled at this scale and scope before. These technologies have the potential to transform how fires are detected, managed, and fought, with a rate 4x faster than current best practices and shortening the time between detection and rapid response, minimizing negative impacts.” The competition is based on two tracks with a bonus high-speed fire detection prize, again quoting from the official XPrize Wildfire web site: “Track A: Space-Based Wildfire Detection and Intelligence tests teams’ ability to detect fires across vast, environmentally challenging landscapes …

Donut Lab Goes for All the Marbles

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

We’re Back We’ll get to Donut Lab and its controversial announcements in the next segment, but first: Following several weeks of medical treatment for a gangrenous toe, angioplasty to open blood vessels in the leg, and doses of antibiotics, the threat to your editor’s foot seems diminished, and things seem to be tending slowly toward health and wellness.  All praise to modern medicine and caring physicians. Meanwhile, In Finland Facing more pain than your editor has experienced in the (moderate) throes of illness,  a battery maker making world-class claims contends with world-class skepticism. Donut Lab, a small Finnish company, claims to be accomplishing something few of its much larger competitors have not, coming out of relative obscurity with a full range of advanced electric and electronic products.  In January, at the latest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, they unveiled their latest breakthrough: solid-state batteries with 400 Watt-hour energy density per kilogram – double that of many competitors. …

Whisper Aero Unveils a Leaf Blower at CES

Dean Sigler Announcements, Autonomous Aircraft, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Whisper Aero has a unique way of showing its cards at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  The Crossville, Tennessee-based company has developed an ultra-quiet electric propulsor that could power aircraft of varying sizes.  While nine Red Bull cyclists recently towed an ultralight sailplane skyward, two Whisper units could launch an ultralight flying wing hang glider. Beta Testing in the Hood In what seems to be a clever and cagy move, Mark Moore and Ian Villa have created an electric leaf blower using their quiet technology.  Putting their demonstrably quieter Whiasper Tone T1 in customer’s hands will unleash thousands of beta testers for the device and the technology. Your editor was a bit taken aback by the blower’s $599 price, but after comparing the T1 to units with which it is competitve, realized the addage about getting what you pay for is true in this instance.  The video below is a good comparison with other similar products.  Whisper …

Red Bull Does Give You Wings

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Red Bull, worldwide distributor of energy drinks, is good at putting on a show.  From their dramatic Hangar 7 museum, art gallery and five culinary outlets in Salzburg, Austria to their extravagant displays of derring-do, Red Bull lives large.  Their largesse is doled out in an incredible museum, gourmet feasts, and stunning acts of aerial derring-do. Hangar 7 houses pristine restorations of historic aircraft and Formula 1 race cars, an ever-changing selection of artworks, and restaurants, a bar, and cafes, all within a light-filled, glass-walled edifice.  Entrances to the Hangar remind your editor of depictions of wing lift curves seen in aerodynamic textbooks. And this video doesn’t even include the Museum’s magnificent Lockheed Constellation, or a glimpse of the five restaurants and cafe’s on site.  One of the best parts of visiting Hanger 7 is that parking and admission are free.  This is a true gift for fans of aviation history and Formula 1 racers, and enables one to enjoy …