Frédéric Laude reports on the Flying Electron blog about his recent flight in the CC01e, a small canard aircraft designed by Claude Chudzik 30 years ago and pulled from storage to see if it could benefit from electric power. After a first, one-lap-around-the-field flight on March 23, Frédéric made a second flight of 15 minutes the following day. On landing, the team found that the batteries still had 60-percent of their full charge remaining. The airplane was stable and easy to fly, despite the presence of a big helicopter that seemed to insist on making the circuits with the petite canard. Problems with the in-line landing gear persisted, though, and the team spent the next several weeks modifying a nose gear that needed strengthening. They replaced a weak aluminum piece with titanium and made changes to the retraction mechanism. On the airplane’s third flight April 13, Frédéric noted, “We still had a little problem with that damn front,” referring to …
Taxiing, Run-ups and Braking – Then Maybe Flying
Frédéric Laude reported the near-flight condition of his team’s CC01e on Sunday, February 3 on the team’s blog. We’ve been following the progress of the airplane for several months. A very small canard, with a pilot tucked into a slim, minimal fuselage just ahead of its small Electravia motor, the plane was taken from its hangar and assembled this week despite the cold, wintry day. Frédéric reports that the team chocked the wheels and started to test motor and battery power, reaching 250 Amps and 3,500 rpm at the propeller. 200 Amps gave 3,200 rpm, and 150 Amps produced 2,900 rpm, even with cold batteries. He notes that this is all much simpler than trying to run the original not-so-quiet two-stroke engine. For the video, the motor’s top cover was left off, but will be replaced for flight testing, and a final spinner will cover the propeller hub after the first flight. Unfortunately, the video is not yet on YouTube, …