Remembering Jack Norris

Dean Sigler Basic Science Research Program, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Jack Norris, an aviation and space pioneer, died on December 21, 2021.  Holder of more than 50 aerospace patents, many conceived during his time with NASA, he was a constantly inventive presence in the aviation world. The Experimental Aircraft Association shares a short autobiographical sketch with an incredible number of highlights.  As a youth, Jack was twice the Senior Overall National Model Aircraft Champion in 1946 and 1948. Later, he created Boeing’s flight controls, which allowed safe flights for over four billion of us.  107 of his maneuvering rocket control valves flew on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, and are now in the Smithsonian. He was the Technical Director for the Voyager, Burt Rutan’s airplane that carried Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager on their non-stop around-the-world flight in 1986.  This followed a long career that included acting as a consultant on nuclear power, nuclear submarines, and work for the U. S. Air Force on acceptance testing for craft as diverse …

Aviation Milestone: Successful Electric World Record Flight

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

The Elektro-Weltrekordflug (electric world record flight) team had great success in its flight from Schänis, Switzerland to Norderney, on Germany’s North Sea.  Setting five of its intended seven world records and then flying back to Switzerland, the team and its Pipistrel Velis showed that electric flight can be a reality for light aircraft.  All we need are charging stations along the way. Your Editor will do something not normal to the blog – repeat most of someone else’s writing with a few comments tossed in. “The world record flight with the first certified electric aircraft from the Alps to the North Sea in Norderney was a success. The “Pipistrel Velis Electro” landed again in Schänis (Switzerland) on Sunday evening. In addition, five world records were set. The EWF team has ushered in a new era in aviation and has proven that electric flying is possible on long-haul routes. “For most of them, passenger flights with small battery-powered aircraft were a long way off. …