1Comet Debuts at Electrifly-in 2025

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

1Comet, a high-performance, laminar-flow ultralight sailplane, debuted at Electrifly-in 2025 in Bern, Switzerland.  Though looking somewhat like the Ruppert Archeopteryz, there are significant differences. Both 1Comet and Archaeopteryx come in foot-launch and electric-powered versions.  Both fall into the microlight category and are capable of flying in microlift conditions. 1Comet, though, has a broader weight range, from a foot-launched glider with fixed landing gear weighing a total of 165 kilograms (364 pounds) to an electric-powered, retractable gear machine toppin out at 350 kilograms (771 pounds). Archaeopteryx has a removable electric motor behind the pilot, cleverly strapped in with Velcro fasteners.  1Comet has a fixed-position Front Electric Sustainer motor in the nose. The 1Comet web site makes the following claims for the electric-powered version.  “The low weight also makes it the ideal platform for electric flight. With only 30 kg of batteries, you can stay in the air for over 2 hours or climb more than 4000 meters. “The electric glider version …

Austrians, Swiss, Chinese Launch Three New Electric Aircraft

Dean Sigler Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Fuel Cells, Solar Power, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Three companies with divergent backgrounds launched three new electric aircraft in the last few months. 1973, and Its Descendants are Still Electric As noted in the blurb for its historic YouTube video for its first electric flight 46 years ago, “HB Flugtechnik is the pioneer in electric flight. The world’s first electric powered flight took place on October 21st, 1973 in Austria. 50 years later this company is still in business and doing better than ever. Given, that we talk about the aviation business, this is an outstanding and remarkable achievement. Today, HB Flugtechnik located at the now newly refurbished airfield Hofkirchen LOLH is not only the major MRO (Maintenance, Repair Organization or Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) for aircraft in Austria, it is still working on the new frontier of electric flight.” In a 2012 presentation at the AVT-209 Workshop in Lisbon, Portugal in 2012, Dr. Martin Hepperle of the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Braunschweig, Germany …

The Electric Archaeopteryx

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 1 Comment

Ruppert Composite has been flying the up-market Archaeopteryx for the last several years, with pilots hopping off hills in the highly efficient, advanced hang glider. Archaeopteryx is versatile, as shown in the video, and can be launched and retrieved in a variety of ways. Its 54 kilogram empty weight makes quite a load for even a fit enthusiast, though, and waiting around for a tow car or plane dampens even the most ardent longing to fly. To counter those objections Ruppert has designed a special electric drive. Working with Dr. Martin Hepperle, a well-known aerodynamicist specializing in model aircraft and low-Reynolds number flight; Leomotion, manufacturer of model airplane electric motors – some with internal planetary propeller speed reduction systems; and Flytec, maker of an electric motor found on hang gliders, electric paramotors and ultralight aircraft around the world, Ruppert will introduce the e-Archaeopteryx with “ascent aid” in early 2013. This is a cleaner installation than that chronicled a few months …