As Icare’ 2 continues exploration of advanced aerodynamics, Karl Kaeser, CEO of Kasaero GmbH, reminds us of an important event in electric aviation, the 30th anniversary of Icare’ 2.
Editor’s note. Karl Kaeser made the following clarification (Seprember 3): “I have never been really involved with the Icaré aircraft. I’d rather see the name of Professor Vot-Nitschmann there or Werner “micro” Scholz. As for the e-Genius Professor Voit-Nitschmann was also for the Icaré the leader of the design group. And micro was the research assistant who brought the Icaré to reality.”
“Exactly 30 years ago today (July 1), electric flight took off at the University of Stuttgart!
“On 1 July 1996, the Icaré 2 successfully completed its maiden flight – a solar-electric motor glider developed at the University of Stuttgart – Institute of Aircraft Design (IFB). What may have seemed visionary at the time has since become part of a much larger story: three decades of research into electric flight.
The video starts with views of Gunther Rochelt and his early solat-powered aircraft, Solair. Rochelt was a mentor to others attempting solar flight, including Eric Raymond.
This influence was world-wide. “Under the scientific leadership of Professor Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, Icaré 2 demonstrated that electric energy could be a serious alternative for aviation. The journey continued with the Hydrogenius, a hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft concept, and reached international visibility with the e-Genius – a purpose-built electric aircraft that first flew in 2011 and has since served as a platform for record flights, hybrid propulsion concepts, automated electric flight control and electrically powered aerotowing.”
Ikarus and e=Genius in flight together.
“Today, the IFB (Institute of Aircraft Design) continues to use both aircraft as flying research laboratories for the aviation technologies of tomorrow.
Congratulations to Karl and the entire Stuttgart team. They demonstrated an inkling of the impressive achievements that would follow.
Ieare’ 2 Continues Its Accomplishments
After 30 years, Icare’ 2 racks up records and contributes to aeronautical research.
Icare’ 2 continues exploration of advanced aerodynamics with wingtip propellers, to test, “The Effects of Wing-tip Propulsors on Icare’ 2 Aeroelasticity” in 2018
Icare’ 2 has been used as a flight test vehicle for aerodynamic and navigational testing.
In the first instance, According to the University, “The aircraft serves as a manned testbed for distributed electric propulsion and is used to investigate the influence of wing tip propellers on the aircraft handling qualities as well as their use for manual and automated yaw control.”
In the second, researchers used Icare’ as a mount for a highly accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna and related systems. This led to aircraft positioning within one centimeter.
High accuracy GPS antenna enables tracking I`care’s position within one centimeter
Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), essentially three-dimensional gyroscopes, provide highly accurate measurements of an aircraft’s movements and position. Johannes Schneider, research assistant at the Institute of Aircraft Design. noted at the time, “Small aircraft for two to four passengers are being developed which are also intended to fly autonomously in future. This is why it is essential for the aircraft to know exactly where it is at all times.”
A Legacy of Solar Soaring
From its initial test flight to aerial essays 30 years later, Icare’ has served as a slow but steady platform for many pilots and missions.
Various pilots familiar with Icare’ describe its flight characteristics as being similar to those of the WWII Slingsby T-21 training glider, an open-cockpit two-seater. The T-21 had a maximum lift-to-drag ratio of 21:1, while Icare’s superior aerodynamics double that.
Even Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, heading its development, had managed a grand flight in 2003. According to Deutsche Welle, “The Stuttgart University professor steered his glider, the Icaré 2, northwards. Five hours later, he landed at Jena, in the German state of Thuringia. He’d flown a distance of some 220 miles.”