Tom Leite of Portugal’s Eurosport Aircraft shares this first test flight video for his firm’s Crossover, a Light Sport Aircraft that can extend its wings to become a sailplane, or bring them in to become a cruiser. Its twin motors can be tucked into the sides of the aircraft, its retractable gear allows further slimming, and its multiply-slatted Fowler-type flaps allow quick takeoffs and slow landings. This type of advanced thinking is complimented by the craft’s electric power – perhaps a sign of things to come in the light aircraft arena. From its Facebook following, the Crossover seems to attract crowds wherever it goes.
EMG-5 Electric Motorglider
This isn’t Brian Carpenter’s first time at the small airplane rodeo. He’s built at least a dozen aircraft, designed several from scratch, and even entertained the hosts of TV’s Mythbusters series with a series of rides in his team’s ultralights. His latest creation at Tangent Aircraft is a sleek Part 103 ultralight that seems to break or bend the rules on several fronts, presenting a twin-pivoting-motored, Fowler-flapped, retractable-gear craft that would seem to be too complex to fall into legal 103 status – or even into something the average novice private pilot would be allowed to fly. The 36-foot span and 105-square-foot wing would seem too fast to meet stall limits. Carpenter explained his design philosophy to your editor a …