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80-565: The Pivotal BlackFly is an American electric-powered VTOL personal air vehicle designed by Canadian engineer Marcus Leng and formerly produced by Opener, now Pivotal. It was publicly revealed in 2018, after nine years of development. The aircraft is supplied to customers complete and ready-to-fly. Pivotal is in the process of starting production of the BlackFly's successor, the Helix, at Pivotal's Palo Alto, California site. The BlackFly

160-546: A Diamond HK-36 Super Dimona motor glider as a research test bed for a hydrogen fuel cell powered light airplane. Successful flights took place in February and March 2008. The European Commission has financed many low TRL projects for innovative electric or hybrid propulsion aircraft. The ENFICA-FC is a project of the European Commission , to study and demonstrate an all-electric aircraft with fuel-cells as

240-493: A Guinness World Record for the farthest distance. In June 2017, Airbus presented its CityAirbus , an electrically powered VTOL aircraft demonstrator. The multirotor aircraft is intended to carry four passengers, with a pilot initially and to become self-piloted when regulations allow. Its first unmanned flight was scheduled for the end of 2018 with manned flights planned to follow in 2019. Type certification and commercial introduction are planned for 2023. Ingenuity ,

320-494: A 10-seater, eventually an at least 120 passengers single aisle, short haul airliner and targets 50% lower noise and 10% lower costs. Jeffrey Engler, CEO of Wright Electric, estimates that commercially viable electric planes will lead to around a 30% reduction in energy costs. On March 19, 2018, Israel Aerospace Industries announced it plans to develop a short-haul electric airliner, building on its small UAS electric power systems experience. It could develop it in-house, or with

400-456: A 12-hour flight from NASA Dryden . After further modifications, the aircraft was moved to the U.S. Navy 's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai . On July 7, 1997, Pathfinder raised the altitude record for solar–powered aircraft to 71,530 feet (21,800 m), which was also the record for propeller–driven aircraft. On August 6, 1998, Pathfinder Plus raised

480-506: A 5 kW/kg power density, competing with the 260 kW (350 hp), 50 kg (110 lb) Siemens SP260D for the Extra 330LE . By September 2018, a 350 hp (260 kW) electric motor with a propeller had been tested on a Cessna iron bird. The 750 hp (560 kW) Caravan first flew in 2020 and by 2022 MagniX estimates electric aircraft will have ranges of 500 and 1,000 miles (800 and 1,610 km) by 2024. The motor ran on

560-448: A 50 min endurance. Pipistrel plans to deliver over 30 examples in 2020, to be operated as a trainer aircraft . On 12 October 2021, Diamond Aircraft announced the development of the e DA40 , targeting a 2022 first flight and a 2023 EASA/FAA Part 23 certification, tailored to the flight training market. The two-seat aircraft is expected to be able to fly for up to 90 minutes, with 40% lower operating costs than piston power. The eDA40 has

640-574: A circumnavigation of the Earth using solar power. Electric VTOL aircraft or personal air vehicles are being considered for Urban Air Mobility . Electric commercial airliners could lower operating costs. By May 2018 almost 100 electric aircraft were known to be under development. This was up from 70 the previous year and included 60% from startups, 32% from aerospace incumbents, half of them major OEMs and 8% from academic, government organizations and non-aerospace companies, mainly from Europe (45%) and

720-526: A gasoline-powered Cessna and other aircraft in a series of trials verified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale . The Long ESA was found to be less expensive, have a higher maximum speed, and higher rate of climb, partly due to the ability of the aircraft to maintain performance at altitude as low air density does not impair engine performance. In 2017, Siemens used a modified Extra EA-300 acrobatic airplane,

800-564: A higher energy density than lead–acid batteries , needed to power a heavier than air aircraft . Following successful human-powered flight , a relaunched Kremer prize allowed the crew to store energy before takeoff. In the 1980s, several such designs stored electricity generated by pedalling, including the MIT Monarch and the Aerovironment Bionic Bat. The Boeing -led FCD (fuel cell demonstrator) project uses

880-523: A market or not", but expressed concern about the lack of pricing and "cost/value relationship" marketing overreach. However he did indicate that "It's early in their game and they have a long developmental road ahead before selling these things." Bertorelli also expressed concern that the company did not allow journalists access to look over the aircraft and would not answer any technical questions. The new CEO of Opener, Ben Diachun stated in January 2020 that

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960-402: A more powerful motor. Even with the lifting capacity of an airship, the heavy accumulators needed to store the electricity severely limited the speed and range of such early airships. Fully electric airships are expected to be available again by the 2030s. In 1909, an electric free flight model was claimed to have been flown eight minutes, but this claim has been disputed by the builder of

1040-506: A peak speed of 80 knots (150 km/h). The Robinson R44 helicopter was modified with two three-phase permanent magnet synchronous YASA Motors , weighing 45 kg (100 lb), plus 11 Lithium polymer batteries from Brammo weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb). It later flew for 20 minutes in 2016. On December 7, 2018, Tier 1 Engineering flew an electric, battery-powered R44 over 30 nmi (56 km) at 80 kn (150 km/h) and an altitude of 800 ft (240 m), setting

1120-485: A pedal-powered airplane to attempt the Channel crossing, the airplane proved too heavy to be successfully powered by human power and was then converted to solar power, using an electric motor driven by batteries that were charged before flight by a solar cell array on the wing. The maiden flight of Solar One took place at Lasham Airfield , Hampshire, on June 13, 1979. The MacCready Gossamer Penguin first flew carrying

1200-402: A pilot and baggage totaling 250 lb (113 kg). It can accommodate a pilot of up to 6.5 ft (1.98 m) in height. A ballistic parachute comes equipped with the aircraft for use by the aviator in emergency situations. The aircraft is not a tiltwing or tiltrotor design. Instead, the entire aircraft changes pitch in order to fly in two modes, hovering and cruising. In hover mode,

1280-541: A pilot in 1980. The MacCready Solar Challenger was first flown in 1980, and in 1981 flew 163 miles from Pontoise Aerodrome , north of Paris, to Manston Royal Air Force Base in Manston , England, staying aloft 5 hours and 23 minutes, with pilot Stephen Ptacek at the controls. The human piloted Solair 1, developed by Günther Rochelt, flew in 1983 with notably improved performance. It employed 2499 wing-mounted solar cells. The German solar-powered aircraft "Icaré II"

1360-619: A pilot on 30 minute flights with a 30-minute reserve. Magnix is seeking FAA certification for its 640 kW (850shp) Magni650 aircraft engine, while battery provider H55 (a spin-off from Solar Impulse) is pursuing EASA approval. A demonstrator for the German Scylax E10 10-seater should fly in 2022. It should be used by FLN Frisia Luftverkehr to connect East Frisian islands with its 300 km (160 nmi) range and 300 m (980 ft) short takeoff and landing distance. Flight envelope In aerodynamics ,

1440-628: A planned three-seat variant for future release. The eDA40 had its initial flight on 20 July 2023. On 19 February 2024, Aura Aero rolls-out its first prototype of Integral E. The NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) is a NASA reconfigurable testbed in Plum Brook Station , Ohio, used to design, develop, assemble and test electric aircraft power systems, from a small, one or two person aircraft up to 20 MW (27,000 hp) airliners . NASA research agreements (NRA) are granted to develop electric-propulsion components. That programme

1520-480: A sailplane. It is the first two-seat electric aircraft to have achieved series production. As pilot training emphasises short flights, several companies make, or have demonstrated, light aircraft suitable for initial flight training. The Airbus E-Fan was aimed at flight training but the project was cancelled. Pipistrel makes light sport electric aircraft such as the Pipistrel WATTsUP , a prototype of

1600-460: A similar fashion. It is perhaps the most common term because it is the oldest, first being used in the early days of test flight. It is closely related to more modern terms known as extra power and a doghouse plot which are different ways of describing the flight envelope of an aircraft. In addition, the term has been widened in scope outside the field of engineering, to refer to the strict limits in which an event will take place or more generally to

1680-629: A small battery, which powered the motor. Following a 1.5-hour charge, the battery could power the aircraft for 3 to 5 minutes to reach a gliding altitude. It followed a successful model test in 1974, as solar cells were developed, at the same period than with NiCad batteries. Under the direction of Freddie To, an architect and member of the Kremer prize committee, the Solar One was designed by David Williams and produced by Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments. A motor-glider type aircraft originally built as

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1760-417: A source of additional power. Likewise higher altitude can be reached by first speeding up and then going ballistic, a maneuver known as a zoom climb . All fixed-wing aircraft have a minimum speed at which they can maintain level flight, the stall speed (left limit line in the diagram). As the aircraft gains altitude the stall speed increases; since the wing is not growing any larger the only way to support

1840-412: A startup like Israeli Eviation , U.S. Zunum Aero or Wright Electric. Australia-based MagniX has developed an electric Cessna 208 Caravan with a 540 kW (720 hp) motor for flight durations up to an hour. The company's Magni5 electric motor produces continuously 265 kW (355 hp), 300 kW (400 hp) peak at 2,500 rpm at 95% efficiency with a 53 kg (117 lb) dry mass,

1920-416: A test dynamometer for 1,000 hours. The iron bird is a Caravan forward fuselage used as a test bed, with the original Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine replaced by an electric motor, inverter and a liquid-cooling system, including radiators, driving a Cessna 206 propeller. The production motor will produce 280 kW (380 hp) at 1,900 rpm, down from the test motor's 2,500 rpm, allowing

2000-532: Is as a sustaining motor or even a self-launching motor for gliders . The most common system is the front electric sustainer , which is used in over 240 gliders. The short range is not a problem as the motor is used only briefly, either to launch or to avoid an outlanding (an unplanned landing while soaring). The first commercially available, non-certified production electric aircraft, the Alisport Silent Club self-launching glider , flew in 1997. It

2080-415: Is known as the service ceiling (top limit line in the diagram), and is often quoted for aircraft performance. The area where the altitude for a given speed can no longer be increased at level flight is known as zero rate of climb and is caused by the lift of the aircraft getting smaller at higher altitudes, until it no longer exceeds gravity . The right side of the graph represents the maximum speed of

2160-437: Is necessary to fly the aircraft, with the other acting as a safety redundancy), each with a thumb control for altitude. The fly-by-wire controls manage all motors, as well as the dual elevons on the outer edges of both wings. Differential motor speeds provide control authority in pitch, roll, and yaw. The elevons are in the prop-wash of the outer propellers, enhancing their roll and pitch authority at low speeds. Additionally,

2240-597: Is optionally driven by a 13 kW (17 hp) DC electric motor running on 40 kg (88 lb) of batteries that store 1.4 kWh (5.0 MJ) of energy. The first certificate of airworthiness for an electric powered aircraft was granted to the Lange Antares 20E in 2003. Also an electric, self-launching 20 m (66 ft) glider/sailplane, with a 42 kW (56 hp) DC/DC brushless motor and lithium-ion batteries , it can climb up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) with fully charged cells. The first flight

2320-442: Is powered by four electric motors. Energy from solar cells on the wings and horizontal stabilizer is stored in lithium polymer batteries and used to drive propellers. In 2012, the first Solar Impulse made the first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft, flying from Madrid , Spain to Rabat , Morocco. Completed in 2014, Solar Impulse 2 carried more solar cells and more powerful motors, among other improvements. In March 2015,

2400-426: Is said to be flown "outside the envelope", something considered rather dangerous. During vehicle test programs, flight envelope simply means that part of the aircraft or spacecraft's design capabilities that have already been successfully tested, and have therefore moved from theoretical or designed capability into a demonstrated/certified capability. Flight envelope is one of a number of related terms that are used in

2480-575: Is the world's first ultralight fixed-wing , all-electric , vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the first ultralight EVTOL to be sold to customers. Investors in Pivotal include Google co-founder Larry Page . The first proof-of-concept version was flown on 5 October 2011, in Warkworth, Ontario , Canada , by Leng. He flew the next model, named the BlackFly, in August 2014 and then relocated

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2560-413: Is typically easier to go higher than faster, up to the altitude where lack of oxygen for the engines starts to play a significant role. A chart of velocity versus load factor (or V-n diagram) is another way of showing limits of aircraft performance. It shows how much load factor can be safely achieved at different airspeeds. At higher temperatures, air is less dense and planes must fly faster to generate

2640-471: Is very little extra power, 60% of the engine's output is already used up just keeping the plane in the air. The leftover 40 hp is all that the aircraft has to maneuver with, meaning it can climb, turn, or speed up only a small amount. To put this in perspective, the C150 could not maintain a 2 g (20 m/s²) turn, which would require a minimum of 120 horsepower (89 kW) under the same conditions. For

2720-598: The Basic Ultralight Aeroplane category in Canada . The American version and international versions will have different ranges, speeds and weights to comply with national regulations. In discussing the design in person with Leng at AirVenture in July 2018, AVweb reviewer Paul Bertorelli indicated that it is "a terrific idea and I'm betting the concept itself has legs, whether Opener's version fails to gain

2800-463: The Fraser River near Vancouver . The normally-fitted Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior piston engine of the six-passenger Beaver was replaced by a 135 kg (297 lb) magni500 , with swappable batteries, allowing 30 minute flights with a 30-minute reserve. By April 2022, flight testing of a certifiable version through a STC was delayed until late 2023, to carry four passengers and

2880-652: The MB-E1 , was made in 1973, and most crewed electric aircraft today are still only experimental prototypes. The world's first serially produced self-launching, manned electric aircraft with EASA type certification since 2006 and a patented wing-integrated battery system, the Lange E1 Antares , completed its maiden flight in 1999; since 2004, more than 100 aircraft of this type have been delivered, totalling more than 165,000 electric flight hours to date (until 2022). Between 2015 and 2016, Solar Impulse 2 completed

2960-531: The Pipistrel Alpha Electro . The advantage of electric aircraft for flight training is the lower cost of electrical energy compared to aviation fuel. Noise and exhaust emissions are also reduced compared with combustion engines. The Bye Aerospace eFlyer 2 (formerly the Sun Flyer 2) is a light electric aircraft designed and under development by Bye Aerospace of Denver, Colorado. The aircraft

3040-426: The flight envelope , service envelope , or performance envelope of an aircraft or spacecraft refers to the capabilities of a design in terms of airspeed and load factor or atmospheric density, often simplified to altitude. The term is somewhat loosely applied, and can also refer to other measurements such as maneuverability. For example, when a plane is pushed, for instance by diving it at high speeds, it

3120-403: The predictable behavior of a given phenomenon or situation, and hence, its "flight envelope". Extra power, or specific excess power , is a very basic method of determining an aircraft's flight envelope. It is easily calculated but as a downside does not tell very much about the actual performance of the aircraft at different altitudes. Choosing any particular set of parameters will generate

3200-425: The 19th century, and to 1917 for a tethered helicopter . Electrically powered model aircraft have been flown at least since 1957, preceding the small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones used today. Small UAS could be used for parcel deliveries, and larger ones for long-endurance applications: aerial imagery, surveillance, telecommunications. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane ,

3280-592: The 330LE, to set two new records: on March 23 at the Dinslaken Schwarze Heide airfield in Germany, the aircraft reached a top speed of around 340 km/h (180 kn) over 3 km (1.6 nmi) and the next day, it became the first glider towing electric aircraft. NASA was developing the X-57 Maxwell to demonstrate technology to reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise, but the program

Pivotal BlackFly - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-617: The BlackFly can be flown in an unmanned configuration. Most flight testing has been unmanned, operated by software with a test weight in place of a pilot. Each motor weighs 4 lb (2 kg) and produces 130 lb (59 kg) of thrust. There are two batteries per motor, located in the wing, behind each motor. Adjacent batteries can be cross-connected for redundancy. The batteries are software-monitored. Data from O'Connor and manufacturer. General characteristics Performance Avionics Electric aircraft Crewed flights in an electrically powered airship go back to

3440-421: The BlackFly cants the wings and propellers to an optimal angle of attack. The forward wing has a slightly lower angle of attack to aid stall recovery. At low speeds, the forward wing will stall first, causing the nose to fall, increasing air speed and automatically exiting a stall. The BlackFly has a defined flight envelope and its controls are triple-redundant fly-by-wire . Takeoff and landing are vertical, and

3520-539: The BlackFly was close to being ready for manufacturing and sales. The aircraft was flown with crew in demonstrations at AirVenture 2021 and was noted as the first aircraft in its category to do so. It was also reported by the company to be in full production in July 2021. Pivotal is pricing the BlackFly's successor, the Helix, at $ 190,000 for the base model. The BlackFly is made from carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy with all-electric battery-powered propulsion. It has two 13.6 ft (4.15 m) cantilevered tandem wings, on

3600-601: The Helios prototype broke up and fell into the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii after the aircraft encountered turbulence, ending the program. In 2005, AC Propulsion flew an unmanned airplane named "SoLong" for 48 hours non-stop, propelled entirely by solar energy. This was the first such around-the-clock flight, on energy stored in the batteries mounted on the aircraft. The QinetiQ Zephyr is a lightweight solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). As of 23 July 2010 it holds

3680-465: The NASA small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) which flew on Mars in 2021 to become the first extraterrestrial aircraft, has a single pair of coaxial rotors . The Dragonfly rotorcraft lander should be the second aircraft and rotorcraft to operate on another astronomical object than Earth. It should be flying in the atmosphere of Titan starting around 2034. The VTOL capabilities is incorporated in order to move

3760-446: The U.S. (40%). Mostly urban air taxis (50%) and general aviation aircraft (47%), a majority are battery-powered (73%), while some are hybrid-electric (31%), most of these being larger airliners. By May 2019, the number of known electric aircraft development programmes was closer to 170, with a majority of them aimed at the urban air taxi role. By 2022, about 100 electric aircraft designs were under development worldwide. By 2023,

3840-408: The aircraft at night. In July 2010 a Zephyr made a world record UAV endurance flight of 336 hours, 22 minutes and 8 seconds (more than two weeks) and also set an altitude record of 70,742 feet (21,562 m) for FAI class U-1.c (remotely controlled UAV with a weight between 50 and 500 kg (110 and 1,100 lb)). For a tethered device such as an air observation platform, it is possible to run

3920-485: The aircraft can takeoff into Cruise or Hover modes. The landing gear consists of a rub-strip on the bottom of an amphibious hull and a small rubber bumper on the rear of the fuselage. The lower edge of the winglets are skids that limit the vehicle's roll when parked. The vehicle is designed to fly from a grass surface, but can also be flown from asphalt, snow, ice, and fresh water (in potential emergencies). Pilot controls consist of two identical joysticks (of which only one

4000-428: The aircraft is pitched roughly vertically and maintains its position and altitude by default, though it can move laterally and longitudinally, as well as change its heading, if commanded. In cruise mode, the aircraft is pitched roughly horizontally and maintains straight and level flight by default, though it can accelerate forwards and backwards, as well as make coordinated turns, if commanded. For efficient Cruise flight,

4080-526: The aircraft took off on the first stage of a planned round-the-world trip, flying eastwards from Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates. Due to battery damage, the craft halted at Hawaii , where its batteries were replaced. It resumed the circumnavigation in April 2016 and reached Seville , Spain, in June 2016. The following month it returned to Abu Dhabi, completing its circumnavigation of the world. An application

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4160-462: The aircraft's weight with less air is to increase speed. While the exact numbers will vary widely from aircraft to aircraft, the nature of this relationship is typically the same; plotted on a graph of speed (x-axis) vs. altitude (y-axis) it forms a diagonal line. Inefficiencies in the wings also make this line "tilt over" with increased altitude, until it becomes horizontal and additional speed will not result in increased altitude. This maximum altitude

4240-405: The aircraft. This is typically sloped in the same manner as the stall line due to air resistance getting lower at higher altitudes, up to the point where an increase in altitude no longer increases the maximum speed due to lack of oxygen to feed the engines. The power needed varies almost linearly with altitude, but the nature of drag means that it varies with the square of speed—in other words it

4320-627: The company gave the official go-ahead. The first free-flying electric helicopter was the Solution F/Chretien Helicopter , developed by Pascal Chretien in Venelles, France. It went from computer-aided design concept on September 10, 2010, to first flight in August 2011, in under a year. In September 2016, Martine Rothblatt and Tier1 Engineering successfully tested an electric-powered helicopter. The five minute flight reached an altitude of 400 feet (120 m) with

4400-641: The company to Palo Alto, California in September 2014. In February 2016, the second BlackFly prototype was first flown. By September 2017, the prototype had flown 10,000 mi (16,093 km) in a series of flights of at least 30 mi (48 km) each. The first pre-production aircraft was flown in October 2017. The design is intended for the FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category in the United States and

4480-424: The curve represents the zero-extra-power condition . All of the area under the curve represents conditions that the plane can fly at with power to spare, for instance, this aircraft can fly at Mach 0.5 at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) while using less than full power. In the case of high-performance aircraft, including fighters, this "1-g" line showing straight-and-level flight is augmented with additional lines showing

4560-425: The endurance record for an unmanned aerial vehicle of over 2 weeks (336 hours). It is of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer construction, the 2010 version weighing 50 kg (110 lb) (the 2008 version weighed 30 kg (66 lb)) with a span of 22.5 m (74 ft) (the 2008 version had a 18 m (59 ft) wingspan). During the day it uses sunlight to charge lithium-sulphur batteries , which power

4640-572: The first recorded electric Radio-Controlled model aircraft flight in 1957. Power density for electric flight was problematic even for small models. NASA's Pathfinder, Pathfinder Plus , Centurion , and Helios were a series of solar and fuel cell system–powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by AeroVironment , Inc. from 1983 until 2003 under NASA 's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program. On September 11, 1995, Pathfinder set an unofficial altitude record for solar-powered aircraft of 50,000 feet (15,000 m) during

4720-446: The flight envelope will reveal far more information. Generally a design with a larger area under the curve will have better all-around performance. This is because when the plane is not flying at the edges of the envelope, its extra power will be greater, and that means more power for things like climbing or maneuvering. General aviation aircraft have very small flight envelopes, with speeds ranging from perhaps 50 to 200 mph, whereas

4800-545: The front and rear of a short fuselage. The fuselage has a single-seat cockpit under a bubble canopy . The forward wing is low, and the rear wing high, giving the cockpit good forward visibility while cruising. Each wing has four tractor configuration contrarotating propellers powered by electric motors . The tractor configuration prevents the flexible propellers from contacting the airframe. Each wingtip has winglets to improve lateral stability and reduce vortex drag. The aircraft weighs 313 lb (142 kg) empty and can carry

4880-604: The high aspect ratio wing with 12 smaller props. US/UK startup ZeroAvia develops zero-emissions fuel-cell propulsion systems for small aircraft, and tests its HyFlyer in Orkney supported by £2.7 million from the UK government. On April 29, 1979, the Mauro Solar Riser became the first person-carrying, solar-powered aircraft to fly, with photovoltaic cells delivering 350 W (0.47 hp) at 30 volts and charging

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4960-712: The installation without a reduction gearbox. On 28 May 2020, the MagniX electric-powered nine-passenger Cessna 208B eCaravan flew on electric power, towards commercial operation certification. A 560-kW (750-hp) MagniX electric motor was installed in a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver seaplane. Harbour Air , based in British Columbia , was hoping to introduce the aircraft in commercial service in 2021, for trips under 30 minutes initially, until range increases as better batteries are introduced. On December 10, 2019, it made its first flight of four minutes duration from

5040-522: The lander and its sensors at various locations farther from the landing site. On 21 October 1973, the Militky MB-E1, a Brditschka HB-3 motor glider converted by Fred Militky and piloted by Heino Brditschka, flew for 9 minutes from Linz in Austria: the first electric aircraft to fly under its own power with a person on board, powered by Nickel–cadmium batteries (NiCad). NiCad batteries have

5120-482: The lucrative consumer drone market. The Taurus Electro was the first two-seat electric aircraft to have ever flown, while the Taurus Electro G2 is the production version, that was introduced in 2011. Powered by a 40 kW (54 hp) electric motor and lithium batteries for self-launching to an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft), after which the engine is retracted and the aircraft then soars as

5200-442: The main or auxiliary power system. During the three-year project, a fuel-cell based power system was designed and first flown in a Rapid 200FC ultralight aircraft on 20 May 2010. The first NASA Green Flight Challenge took place in 2011 and was won by a Pipistrel Taurus G4 on 3 October 2011. In 2013, Chip Yates demonstrated that the world's fastest electric airplane, a Long ESA, a modified Rutan Long-EZ , could outperform

5280-431: The maximum performance at various g loadings. In the diagram at right, the green line represents, 2-g, the blue line 3-g, and so on. The F-16 Fighting Falcon has a very small area just below Mach 1 and close to sea level where it can maintain a 9-g turn. Flying outside the envelope is possible, since it represents the straight-and-level condition only. For instance diving the aircraft allows higher speeds, using gravity as

5360-525: The motor burned out after only a few flights. In 1964, William C. Brown at Raytheon flew a model helicopter that received all of the power needed for flight by microwave power transmission . The world's first large-scale all-electric tilt-rotor was the AgustaWestland Project Zero unmanned aerial vehicle technology demonstrator, which performed unmanned tethered fights on ground power in June 2011, less than six months after

5440-453: The national altitude record to 80,201 feet (24,445 m) for solar-powered and propeller-driven aircraft. On August 14, 2001, Helios set an altitude record of 29,524 metres (96,863 ft) – the record for FAI class U (experimental/new technologies), and FAI class U-1.d (remotely controlled UAV with a mass between 500 and 2,500 kg (1,100 and 5,500 lb)) as well as the altitude record for propeller–driven aircraft. On June 26, 2003,

5520-416: The needed power for a particular aircraft for those conditions. For instance a Cessna 150 at 2,500-foot (760 m) altitude and 90-mile-per-hour (140 km/h) speed needs about 60 horsepower (45 kW) to fly straight and level. The C150 is normally equipped with a 100-horsepower (75 kW) engine, so in this particular case the plane has 40 horsepower (30 kW) of extra power. In overall terms this

5600-438: The number of sustainable aircraft concepts under development (not only electric) was estimated at up to 700. The use of electricity for aircraft propulsion was first experimented with during the development of the airship in the latter part of the nineteenth century. On 8 October 1883, Gaston Tissandier flew the first electrically powered airship. The following year, Charles Renard and Arthur Krebs flew La France with

5680-561: The power up the tether. In an attempt to create a more practical solution than the clumsy balloons then in use, the Austro-Hungarian Petróczy-Kármán-Žurovec PKZ-1 electric-powered helicopter was flown in 1917. It had a specially-designed 190 hp (140 kW) continuous-rated electric motor made by Austro-Daimler that was powered by a cable connected to a DC generator on the ground. However, electric motors were not yet powerful enough for such applications and

5760-512: The relation between speed at level flight and altitude, although other variables are also possible. It takes more effort to make than an extra power calculation, but in turn provides much more information such as ideal flight altitude. The plot typically looks something like an upside-down U and is commonly referred to as a doghouse plot due to its resemblance to a kennel (sometimes known as a 'doghouse' in American English). The diagram on

5840-534: The right shows a very simplified plot which shall be used to explain the general shape of the plot. The outer edges of the diagram, the envelope, show the possible conditions that the aircraft can reach in straight and level flight. For instance, the aircraft described by the black altitude envelope on the right can fly at altitudes up to about 52,000 feet (16,000 m), at which point the thinner air means it can no longer climb. The aircraft can also fly at up to Mach 1.1 at sea level, but no faster. This outer surface of

5920-472: The same amount of lift. High heat may reduce the amount of cargo a plane can carry, increase the length of runway a plane needs to take off, and make it more difficult to avoid obstacles such as mountains. In unusual weather conditions this may make it unsafe or uneconomical to fly, occasionally resulting in the cancellation of commercial flights. Although it is easy to compare aircraft on simple numbers such as maximum speed or service ceiling, an examination of

6000-577: The same conditions a fighter aircraft might require considerably more power due to their wings being designed for high speed, high agility, or both. It could require 10,000 horsepower (7.5 MW) to achieve similar performance. However modern jet engines can provide considerable power with the equivalent of 50,000 horsepower (37 MW) not being atypical. With this amount of extra power the aircraft can achieve very high maximum rate of climb , even climb straight up, make powerful continual maneuvers, or fly at very high speeds. A doghouse plot generally shows

6080-480: Was cancelled due to problems with the propulsion system. Modified from a Tecnam P2006T , the X-57 will have 14 electric motors driving propellers mounted on the wing leading edges. In July 2017, Scaled Composites is modifying a first P2006T by replacing the piston engines with electric motors, to fly early in 2018, then will move the motors to the wingtips to increase propulsive efficiency and finally will install

6160-478: Was cancelled in 2023. In September 2017, UK budget carrier EasyJet announced it was developing an electric 180-seater for 2027 with Wright Electric . Founded in 2016, US Wright Electric built a two-seat proof-of-concept with 272 kg (600 lb) of batteries, and believes they can be scaled up with substantially lighter new battery chemistries . A 291 nmi (540 km) range would suffice for 20% of Easyjet passengers. Wright Electric will then develop

6240-945: Was designed and built by the institute of aircraft design (Institut für Flugzeugbau) of the University of Stuttgart in 1996. The leader of the project and often pilot of the aircraft is Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, the head of the institute. The design won the Berblinger prize in 1996, the EAA Special Achievement Award in Oshkosh, the Golden Daidalos Medal of the German Aeroclub and the OSTIV-Prize in France in 1997. Solar Impulse 2

6320-523: Was first publicly introduced on 11 May 2016, and first flew on 10 April 2018. On 10 June 2020, the Velis Electro variant of the two-seat Pipistrel Virus was the first electric aircraft to secure type certification , from the EASA . Powered by a 76 hp (58 kW) electric motor developed with Emrax , it offers a payload of 170 kg (370 lb), a cruise speed of 90 kn (170 km/h), and

6400-413: Was in 2003. In 2011, the aircraft won the 2011 Berblinger competition. In the late 2000s, a Chinese manufacturer of radio-controlled models Yuneec International developed and tested several battery-powered manned fixed-wing aircraft, including E430 , the first electric aircraft designed to be serially produced, but failed to commercialize them (only prototypes were built) and in the mid-2010s, turned to

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