PADA Lectures Highlight Innovation

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

The 2014 Personal Aircraft Design Academy (PADA) dinner and awards ceremony, the latter held in the Vette Theater at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Museum, highlighted design innovation and the possible commercial exploitation of new technology.  Dr. Brien Seeley, Founder and President of the CAFE Foundation, hosted the evening and introduced your CAFE blog editor, who gave an overview of innovations in aircraft, avionics and powerplants he’d encountered on his daily hikes around Wittman Field. Dr. Seeley had the honor of presenting this year’s PADA trophy to John O’Leary, Vice President and General Manager of Airbus Americas Engineering (AAE), for the parent company’s development of the E-Fan, a twin-motored personal airplane that has been a highlight of the Paris and Farnborough air shows.  With the flying displays behind it, the proof-of-concept machine will be the basis for two-seat (E-Fan 2.0) and four-seat (4.0) production variants that will bring smooth electric power to private flight.  The two-seater, which can double as a …

The Personal Aircraft Design Academy – IMPORTANT UPDATE!

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Brien A.Seeley M.D., PADA Program Chair and President of the CAFE Foundation, sends the following invitation. The highlight of Oshkosh AirVenture for me each year is the Personal Aircraft Design Academy (PADA), whose casual, delicious, catered buffet ‘networking’ dinner is followed by its colloquium for leading aircraft designers, enthusiasts and aero engineers.  Several of the renowned previous PADA Trophy recipients are expected to dine and attend PADA 2014, where we will reveal and honor the 12th annual recipient of the perpetual PADA Trophy.  For 2014, the presentation program will feature two exciting new aircraft: Richard Hogan from Commutercraft  will present ‘The Innovator—a New 3–‐surface Aircraft’ and Oliver Garrow will present the technical details of a new tilt‐wing VTOL aircraft—the Elytron.” The 2014 PADA dinner will be at 6:15 PM on Friday August 1, at the large, white Nature Tent #3, which is in the wooded area about ¼ mile East of the EAA Museum. The PADA colloquium presentations, which are open …