An indication of the enthusiasm people are showing for the potential of electric flight, tickets are going fast for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2010 World Symposium on Electric Aircraft, part of AirVenture 2010. The WSEA will be held on Friday July 30 on the Eagle Hangar main stage.
The morning session, titled, “The Dream of Flight,” runs from 9 a.m. to Noon. The lunch session, “The Voice of Experience: Electric Aircraft Builders,” runs from Noon to1:30 p.m., and the afternoon session, “Putting Vision to Practice,” runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
According to the EAA, “Among the confirmed participants for the symposium are FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt; Electric Aircraft Corporation founder Randall Fishman; Yuneec founder Tian Yu; Sonex Aircraft founder John Monnett; and Earthstar Aircraft founder Mark Beierle, who displayed his eGull ultralight aircraft at AirVenture 2009. Commercial pilot and flight instructor Erik Lindbergh, grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh and founder of the nonprofit Creative Solutions Alliance, will also be on hand to announce the LEAP (Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize) winners.”
The CAFE Foundation founded the first-ever Electric Aircraft Symposium in 2007. CAFE President Dr. Brien Seeley will present “Aviation’s Green Future” at the WSEA on Friday, July 30. He will present “The Second Century of Flight” at the Aviation Learning Center, a metal hangar near the flight line, at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 31. This should give AirVenture attendees an exciting vision of the future of aviation, CAFE style, in which not only the aircraft are new and different, but the supporting infrastructure takes on new roles and technologies.
(Editor’s note: This is an update of an earlier entry, which had an incorrect venue for the WSEA. Because circumstances may bring about changes, verify times and locations for electric aircraft presentations by referring to the EAA’s schedule for these events.)