Fred To, who crafted the first solar-powered aircraft to carry a pilot, alerted your editor to the passing of Derek Piggott MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). Derek was a master sailplane flight instructor, movie stunt pilot, the first human to successfully take off and fly an aircraft on muscle power alone, and a pioneer in electric aviation. Your editor met Derek at a Soaring Society of America convention in Seattle, Washington in 1980, and has an autographed copy of his autobiography, Delta Papa: A Life of Flying, as a cherished memento of that event. It covers his years in the Royal Air Force starting as a cadet, rising to pilot officer, and flying in Canada and India in a variety of gliders and powered aircraft. An Engine and Pilot Following his wartime experiences and discharge from the RAF, Derek taught flying in powered craft and gliders. His experience in what finally amounted to over 300 types of …
Faradair BEHA, an Electric Triplane for the Future
Triplanes were popular in World War One because they allowed great maneuverability for dog-fighting, a supreme survival necessity. Their success in designs by Fokker and Sopwith, among others, gave them a certain panache. Now, a Bristol, England-based company hopes to revive the triplane as a commuter aircraft ready to fly from regional airports. Faradair®, named after English physicist Michael Faraday*, hopes to craft an airplane that will allow flight from smaller regional airports and compete with even well-established rail service. Their craft, BEHA – Bio-Electric Hybrid Aircraft, will fly six to eight lucky passengers on a quiet inter-city ride powered by a 300-horsepower internal combustion engine and two electric motors in a parallel-hybrid arrangement. Neil Cloughley, Managing Director and Founder of Faradair, wants to return Britain’s regional air services to a point where they were between WWI and WWII, when a small group of passengers could board a DeHavilland Dragon Rapide for a leisurely and sight-filled journey over England’s green …