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 …