First Conventional Light Aircraft Powered by Electricity Flies over France
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
You think a Tesla Roadster is news? Try flying in the Electra, a single-seater airplane with a 25 horsepower motor and 47 (105 lbs) kilograms of lithium-polymer batteries. Anne Lavrand, the president of the APAME group, said. "This will be a real aeroplane that will have an airworthiness certificate. It's a machine built for anyone with a pilot's license."
The Google translated French website says "On Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 11:50 took place on the first flight of F-WMDJ ELECTRA, equipped with an electric motor of 25 hp and Lithium-polymer batteries. The pilot - test engineer Christian Vandamme has made this test history from the airstrip at about Buëch Aspres (Hautes Alpes)."
Charles Bremner of the TimesOnline says:
Several far richer outfits, mainly in the USA, are working on similar power packs but so far none have got off the ground. Lavrand told me that they started the project quietly 18 months ago, partly financed by donations from aerospace groups. "It's not always a question of money. When we began, no-one believed we could do it." Having proved that "ecological aviation" is viable, her group aims to extend the range and power of their technology, which for the moment uses a modified golf cart motor made by LCM, a British firm. ::Times Online
Specifications translated from Google: (read between the lines) from Apame
This is the origin of the aircraft MB02 "Souricette" built by Anne Lavrand under the NCAR, and equipped for this occasion an electric drive developed as part of the work of the APAME. . This project was carried out with the agreement of Michael Barry, designer of the "Souricette."
English translation of information on the Souricette
Monoplace
Wingspan: 9 m
Empty weight without batteries: 134 kg
Max allowable take-off weight: 265 kg
Cruising speed: 90 km / h
Finesse : 13 Finesse: 13
Construction type wooden canvas
Electric Powertrain:
Motor current "brush" Industrial 18 kW (25 hp)
Power Electronics developed specifically for this use
Lithium Batteries - Polymer (total weight: 47 kg)
Propeller-step adjustable ground ARPLAST suited to this engine
Scoreboard, throttle, engine mount, flange motor, etc.… developed and produced specifically for this device
In this configuration, the aircraft ELECTRA conducted on December 23, 2007 flights for 48 minutes, travelling about 50 km from the local airport on Aspres Buëch.. The performances have been established to speed finesse max (75 kph).
The pilot was no significant difference qualities of aircraft. Ground crew observed a significant reduction in the noise generated by the drive: you could hear the whistling aérondynamique very light-induced cell during certain phases of flight.
Note: Warren says that the Japanese did it first.
I'm surprised they didn't go with a motor glider for lower air drag and the ability to soar when the "juice" runs out.
Open cockpit+wing struts = high air drag.
I'm impressed though, especially as I used to build R/C planes long ago. My the technology in batteries sure has advanced!
This is great. Hopefully more groups will continue working on projects like these. General Aviation desperately needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Green aviation is more 22nd century than 21st century. This is a cool project to be sure, but does it translate to a 600 person capacity commercial aircraft that can fly across oceans with virtually zero fatalities? I just don't see it happening anytime soon, though I certainly will be thrilled if it happens in my lifetime!
Others are trying.
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/releases/pr_072407.html
This is good news.
This is awesome!
Talk about REgen (regenerative braking) capabilities!
Now maybe they can do this for pleasure boats of decent size... I could really get my money's worth while plugged in to shore power.
vsk
Man-carrying electric powered aircraft have been around for a long time - production electric powered motor gliders are even now becoming available in Europe (see links below). But the first electric powered aircraft experiments were being done in the late 1970's and early 80's by Paul MacCready's team in California which culminated in a solar electric powered flight with the Solar Challenger flying across the English Channel (163 miles from Paris to England at over 11,000 ft).
http://www.alisport.com/eu/eng/silent_b.htm
http://www.apisgliders.com/ApisE.html
http://www.nadler.com/public/Antares.html
http://www.lange-flugzeugbau.de/htm/english/products/antares_20e/antares_20E.html
"This is a cool project to be sure, but does it translate to a 600 person capacity commercial aircraft that can fly across oceans with virtually zero fatalities?"
Why would it have to translate into that? This was one small step, fine just the way it is. Others will take more small steps, and before long we may have small regional all-electric airplanes.
Just because this project did not save the world, it doesn't mean it was useless.
I agree with Warren and Rolex Replica that this airplane and event is just another in a long line of historical precedence for electric powered flight. Nobody has mentioned Eric Raymond's "Sunseeker", which was a modified sailplane that he flew from California to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 18 years ago in 1990. The sailplane design needs only 250W of electrical power to keep it airborne and Eric did that with 5% efficient amorphous silicon solar cells coupled with relatively high mass NiCad battery energy storage.
His vehicle, retrofitted with today's technology of Li-Po cells, 97% efficient motors and controllers and 31% efficient triple junction GaAs solar cells could fly much higher and longer than in 1990. I'd like to see these types of improvements on a practical enclosed cockpit 2-seater airplane.
Electric planes are old news. Check out the high res shots at the bottom of this page:
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/releases/pr_072407.html?action=completions
oops, I see someone has already brought up the other electric
plane. OK, moving on to electric jet engines. Check this out:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleid=44F4DFC4-E7F2-99DF-3BE82FA1F437150A
I'm wondering if the idea of installing helical wind turbines on the wings or fuselage has been addressed? Once in the air, a turbine could surely harness more than enough energy to power the aircraft indefinitely, even store energy for the next takeoff. The housing for the turbine could be very low-profile to reduce drag, only a thin edge or even completely flush air-intake vent would do the trick... and helical turbines can be extremely light-weight (I don't know how their weight might compare to solar units.) If this has already been discussed, I would be thrilled if someone would link me to the thread. Thanks!!!
jeanette, let us all know when your perpetual motion device is ready for us! Look up Betz's limit.
Im all for electric powered flight when it comes to small planes and possibly helicopters(IF it turns out to be efficient which it very well may NOT be). But on large commercial aircraft and/or high-performance military aircraft, I say NO WAY. Electricity is NOT the most effecient way to store energy to be used for propulsion! This was discovered during the early to mid 20th century with electrically driven subs. I am totally UNConvinced that propellor-driven planes powered by fuelcell electric motors will Ever be a viable alternative to gas-fueld jets. The Jet Engine has vastly superior energy efficiency and delivers FAR more power than ANY type of propellor-regardless of what means you use to rotate the armature.
The best alternative to fossil fueled airplanes are Jets powered by liquid hydrogen. In the 22nd century the Jet Engine and perhaps the rocket engine will be replaced by plasma engines.