Zane recently started a thread about a cool electric sled:

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/community/forum/latest/electric-power-sled-14687

So, it is 2014...how long before I can buy my first quick build electric Airplane kit

Well I do remember that the Germans and the Chinese were busy developing some electric aircraft. Here are some links to examples of that technology, ie actual flying aircraft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TwyyQ1BckK0

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2011/March/25/German-electric-airplane-completes-first-flight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Pb_psj1A8

http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/lsasport/germany-certifies-first-electric-airplane-espyder

I guess it is all about battery technology and getting better energy/weight ratios. I am not very knowledgeable . Is anybody keeping up with this ?? Anything happening at 2014 Friedrichshafen or OshKosh ? If so..please share..

You can buy several electric aircraft, and/or kits and parts to convert an existing light, efficient aircraft to electric.

The Excel is available as a quick build kit by Alpaero, which I believe is available as an electric. This is affordable, has excellent soaring performance when the motor is off, and it is operable as a high-efficiency powered aircraft.
The Silent by Alisport can be purchased as an electric. There is even an aerobatic version.
The Carat (mfg name escapes me), and a few other German high-dollar electric self-launch sailplanes are available ready to fly, but are expensive.

At the cheap end of the spectrum, you can buy a used Monnett Moni as a kit or project, and install components from a man named Randall Fishman, to duplicate his "Electra Flyer". Fishman also sells parts to convert an inexpensive "trike" style ultralight to electric.

The Sonex company was developing an electric version, which would be an ideal choice for a usable two-seater, if they are offering it yet. The Sonex is essentially (and genetically) a two seat Moni.

You can also contact Greg Cole at Windward Performance, they have an electric version of their fabulous Sparrowhawk glider.

For the bottom-dollar ultralight experience, contact Mike Sandlin, designer of the GOAT primary glider, and talk to him about Floyd Fronius' work towards a dual swing-out motor self-launch version of the GOAT.

For the DIY type person, there are numerous off the shelf components that will get you 3/4 of the way to designing and building your own system. For the cost-conscious, you can make some very impressive cost reductions if you give up the convenience of a fully proportional throttle, and go with only 3 or 5 "steps" in your range of power from zero to 100%.

You might want to join the Experimental Soaring association, several of the "best and brightest" in the high efficiency and alternate power end of aviation are involved with this organization.

This being BCP, to stay completely honest, it must be mentioned that usable electric aircraft and truly usable back country STOL aircraft... are more or less mutually exclusive.

Kitplanes has a monthly columnist that is way into that subject, and other somewhat esoteric flying machines.
As I've said before, as one with a large electrical excess, free no less, and living at the base of a soaring ridge, I am paying attention to the subject. Gas is still too cheap though for me to do anything about it, let's hope it stays that way!

@ EZFLAP:

Thanks for the info. I live in an area where there seem to be a lot of Teslas driving around as well. I have seen some of these really huge brushless motors ( huge as compared to the radio control versions that is ) and am amazed.

I used to shoot film all the time and when digital appeared my first reaction was...hmmm ...interesting...

As I look at evolving battery technology and hi power brushless DC motors...again...hmmm...interesting..

What I guess I am most worried about is the FAA and their regulations. ...you know...something silly like no flying if thunderstorms are forecast within the next 2 weeks within a 1000 mile radius of your proposed flight path.

@ Courierguy:

Yeah gas is still cheap. But things like TBO for a DC Brushless motor might be ?? ..forever..??Things like that are pretty cool. Multi engine experimental designs might become more common as well. Who knows...

At the moment, I think for the electric aircraft to work, it needs to meet a very small mission goal. For the average pilot its just not there yet. For motorgliders its been here for a while. As a typical VFR aircraft well then it depends on what you want to do. I have had a design in mind for years that does meet the mission goal where electric is possible. But my case is a specialized one. I use to fly sailplanes and due to my FBO being in the desert and well over an hours drive away, sailplanes became too much of a burden to spend so much time driving to fly. I did not and currently dont have (im a student pilot with XC remaining only) my PPL so flying to the FBO was not an option. So after a long hiatus between flying, i went back but decided to give hangliding a try. What I found was in many respects I preferred the HG due to the ability to get close to terrain and turn tight and fly slowly. I really did not miss the L/D as mush as I thought as I enjoyed the camaraderie between pilots as well as I found flying challenges in my local area that kept me happy. What i did not like about HG was that, I still had the inconvenience of a drive to the top of the hill even if I bummed a ride, I disliked using my legs as landing gear and more so detested weight shift control. Weight shift works fine in pitch, but in roll its more of a suggestion; at least in the low performance gliders I was flying. I was routinely reminded by turbulence that I don't have as much control in roll as i thought I did... So back to the electric. My HG site happens to be about 3 miles from my local GA airport and my design would take advantage of the electric motor to power over to the HG site, shut down and play a bit with the HG guys motor back, fold wings and slide in a shared hangar. The design needs to be light enough to thermal at typical HG speeds and turn radii. While most electric aircraft require low drag, for my application a higher drag high lift airframe will likely help with the slower speeds. Something along the order of a powered goat or Marske monarche which would be easy for anyone to build at a low cost. Or for a slicker airframe something similar to a moni only composite.

Right now its just a pipe dream in sketches but perhaps one day it will get into Solidworks.

Best regards,

Marc

The latest issue of Sport Aviation has a short article about a new Electric Motor Glider kit being sold by Adventure Aircraft in collaboration with Quicksilver.

Denali wrote:As I look at evolving battery technology and hi power brushless DC motors...again...hmmm...interesting..

It's just the batteries.

The electric motors are already upwards of 98% efficiency in many cases, and are already well suited to driving a propeller in a relatively low RPM - high torque application.

I don't know whether I really believe that greater economies of scale can make batteries cheap enough for a world of electric vehicles. The materials are so rare and the current technology fairly well understood. I think someone needs to have a revolutionary new idea about electricity storage before that changes.

It is 2014,
But look at what people used expect the year 2000 to bring....


This thread could probably go into "Off topic" it's so far fetched for backcountry flying

Well, I am amazed at all the Teslas running around in the Washington, DC area, and it gives me pause to think. More widespread aircraft applications in aircraft can't be that far behind. That Chinese airplane looked pretty impressive.

BackCountry .. hmmmm... well maybe not quite yet. Maybe once more proven and actually flying electric planes are introduced, the electric applications will migrate into back country applications.

@ Battson: About 5 years ago I perfected some anti-gravity belts, because I enjoy parachute jumping and got tired of repacking my parachute. The belts do the same thing, except are much more handy. I just get a lot of strange looks as I float down towards the ground, so I only use them now in the back country. Maybe I could strap about ten of them to a Super Cub which, as per my calculations, will get the effective empty weight down to zero. I bought the original belts off of a time traveler from the 24th century who had come back to 2009 and had posted on Craigslist that he was looking for antique furniture. I traded him a 2008 dining set for 5 ant-gravity belts. I have of course further refined them and was thinking about applying for a patent, but I have been busy.

That is a keeper Battson, great find! No seat belts, and the dog gets to go, I want one.

EZFlap wrote:The Carat (mfg name escapes me), and a few other German high-dollar electric self-launch sailplanes are available ready to fly, but are expensive.
.

The Carat, made by AMS, AFAIK was only sold as piston engine powered. It's unique feature is the forward folding prop. I believe it has been out of production for a few years and AMS has been busy stiffing people on parts etc.

You may have been thinking of the Antares, a nicely engineered high performance glider with some innovative features. Watching the pylon go up, engine bay doors sequence and motor start is almost as fun as watching the gear retract on a P-51.

Electric self-launch gliders work well, or reasonably so, as they don't require all that much energy to launch, then Ma Nature provides the lift to allow longer flights. Hopefully enough energy remains in the batteries to get home if MN decides to quit cooperating.

Personally, I still prefer the Wankel engine Schleicher uses in their self-launchers . . . turbine smooth (unlike the more common 2-stroke which tries to shake itself, and anything attached, to smaller pieces), good power density, and no problem getting home.

Practical battery/electric aircraft will still need to wait some for even more efficient batteries - - and ones that don't have a propensity to burn quite so vigorously as the LiPo (LiFePO4 being better in that regard).

bumper

A couple more interesting links:


http://www.eaa.org/experimenter/articles/2010-07_electric.asp An Introduction to Electric Planes

http://www.yuneec.com/Aircraft.html Yuneec Electric Airplane

http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7795&context=etd_theses%20%20electric%20plane
Masters Thesis on Electric Planes, Great discussion on batteries