It’s included here because it represents the next step up into competition level. Dropping the buzz machine for a smoother, quieter electric powerplant, Pipistrel gives us an eager climber (6 meters per second, or 1181 fpm) and an accomplished soarer, with no less than 10 world records to its credit. **Based on relative values of kits for other Silent models, deduct approximately 10,000 to 12,000 Euros for a kit if it becomes available.īeyond the size and weight limits of this category of electric craft, the Apis/Bee is a Slovenian standard class-sized self-launching sailplane, normally sent aloft by a Hirth F-33 two-stroke engine. *Add about $6000 for the Eck/Geiger motor and controller, with battery prices varying depending on pack size. Even with that lower energy, Exelec can take off in 150 meters (492 feet), climb 2 meters per second (397 fpm), and go up to 1000 meters (3200 feet), all at once or in stages, while carrying a pilot up to 190 pounds.Ī claimed 30:1 glide ratio gives the sailplane KA-6 performance, good enough for long cross-country flights. LiFePO4 batteries have a slightly lower energy density than lithium ion, but they are less expensive and do not present a fire hazard. Two LiFePO4 battery packs in the fuselage add 48 kg (105.6 pounds), giving Exel an empty weight of 225 kg (495 pounds) complete with a ballistic recovery parachute. The HDP weighs only 5.2 kg (11.44 pounds) with its controller, and directly drives a 1.60-meter (5.24 feet) diameter propeller. To assist climb and gliding performance, the Exel can be fitted with a wingtip extension that increases the span to 14.8 meters (48.6 feet), close to standard class.Įxelec, the electric version, was created during the latter part of 2010 and the first months of 2011, and made its first flight in May 2011. With a reduction system for the B&S under consideration, Claude Noin, the airplane’s designer, has produced an electric version of the craft, using the Eck/Geiger 13.5 kW HPD 13.5 for launching and climb to soaring altitude. Alpaero claims lower vibration, easy maintenance and fuel consumption of only 4 liters per hour to feed its 28 horses. This solution makes it easier to use, well in agreement with the schedule of conditions of this single-seater. The Alpaero Exel was originally equipped with a two-stroke, two-cylinder JPX-320D engine, but recently changed from fiberglass construction to carbon fiber to make allowances for a heavier, but more efficient, Briggs & Stratton four-stroke, V-twin unit. To further save costs, the aircraft can be carried atop an automobile. Winning a €10,000 ($12,718 at press time) prize in this year’s Berblinger Prize competition, part of the Friedrichshafen Aero Expo, Ruhmer’s electrified Swift was calculated by judges to fly on a diesel fuel equivalent between zero and 0.38 liters per 100 kg (619 mpg). In a 2009 email, Ruhmer noted, “The flying characteristics are the same as for the free-flying version.” He added that aerodynamically, the machine reacts just as the foot-launcher does, and for slow speed and weak thermal soaring, the Swift “is a very good machine.” He can make several takeoffs in one afternoon, soar about the local landscape, and relaunch repeatedly on one battery charge. The unit uses battery packs arranged with 16 batteries in series and nine in parallel configuration for a total of 144 cells (A123 Systems LiFePO4), weighing 12.5 kg (27.5 pounds) and providing 58 volts and 20.7 amp hours. An HP-10 motor, controller and battery packs fit into a tight area, maintaining the Swift’s aerodynamics.
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