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Environment-Friendly Inexpensive Electric Airplane

4 points by kirubakaran 18y ago

DabAsteroid 18y ago
Environment-friendly ... solar or wind energy In what way(s) could diffuse fuels such as solar and wind be considered environment-friendly?
- jcdreads 18y ago
  Here's the most obvious way: they cause essentially zero pollution compared with energy from fossil fuels. What wind- and sun-related environmental peril did you have in mind?
DabAsteroid 18y ago
A direct drive 5 KWh (sic) electric motor ... flight time would be 1.5 to 2 hours. ... A full charge will cost you around 60 cents depending on where your power comes from. If the energy were from wind or solar, the energy would cost around $1/kWh * 5kW * 2hrs = $1/kWh * 10kWh = $10. If that can last 140 miles, that works out to 7 cents per mile, or $5 per flight-hour. The top end battery pack costs 8,500 $. So that is 1000 cycles = 1500 flying hours at a cost of 6.2 $ per hour! (cost of battery replacement divided by flying hours plus 60 cents per charging cycle). If flight time were 2 hours, the pack replacement cost would be $4.25/flighthour. With solar/wind electricity as $5/hr fuel, this would add up to $9.25/flighthour. Edit: the website says the large battery pack only holds 5.6kwh. Perhaps with losses (charging, etc.), that would approach the above figure of 10kWh per flight. http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html
DabAsteroid 18y ago
Judging by the information on the Electraflyer website, much of the information at the blog seems to be wrong. The $18,385.00 price is not for the pictured Electraflyer C explerimental plane, but for this open-air frame tricycle with fabric wing: http://www.electraflyer.com/tech.html http://www.electraflyer.com/tech.html It is that tricycle that weighs only 247 lbs, not the experimental plane (the Electraflyer C), which is based on an "all metal Moni motor glider". http://www.electraflyer.com/electraflyerc.html http://www.electraflyer.com/electraflyerc.html The Moni was first introduced at the 1981 Oshkosh Convention. It was designed by John Monnett and sold as a complete kit including the engine and instruments. ... Approximately 380 kits were sold between 1982 and 1986. It is unknown how many Moni's have been completed and are currently flying. The manufacturer of this neat little airplane, Monnett Experimental Aircraft, later INAV Inc., went out of business in 1986. http://edhlund.com/monimain.htm http://edhlund.com/monimain.htm
DabAsteroid 18y ago
These are the Moni motorglider specs: http://edhlund.com/monispec.htm http://edhlund.com/monispec.htm It weighed 260 lbs, empty. Construction: "all aluminum bonded and riveted".
DabAsteroid 18y ago
Here is a flight report from a Moni motorglider, similar to the one erroneously pictured at dancewithshadows.com: http://edhlund.com/PIREP01.htm http://edhlund.com/PIREP01.htm On my seventh flight I was ready for some mild aerobatics. I entered a left barrel roll at 4000 ft. and, 3/4 complete, experienced airframe vibration, loss of elevator control and nose pitchdown. I closed the throttle and held full back elevator but the pitch attitude, airspeed and vibration level all continued to increase until I was at a nearly 90 degree nosedown attitude and the airframe sounded like I was inside a garbage can being assaulted by baseball bats. About this time there was a tremendous "crack" and the airplane dissapeared from around me. I was tumbling through the air losing conciousness, but still strapped in my seat. Because of the violent motion I was unable to release the lap belt. The last thing I remember before losing conciousness was reaching for my parachute D-ring while saying goodbye to the world. Miraculously, I regained conciousness on the ground, where I slowly realized that I was still strapped to the rear of the airframe, which had joined me in a fully unconcious parachute descent to a sitting landing in a nice plowed field. Another complete story follows where I got the seat belt released, only to be parachute dragged in a 20 knot wind with one arm and a dislocated shoulder entangled in the shroud lines, before finally shedding the chute. There were lots of broken bones and aches and pains. The NTSB investigation revealed that the starboard wing skin had debonded. The skin had departed outward, broken the spar and broken the aircraft in half at the spar box. After some healing, and doing some research, I found that experts had been advising Monnett against this bonding method. He subsequently mandated a riveted wing, but didn't describe why as eloquently as I could have. Your editor, Carlos Emmons, and I then stripped the bonded skin from his wings (he wasn't flying yet) so easily it couldn't be believed. A little loosening with a knife at the trailing edge to get a finger hold, and a single jerk had the whole skin in our hands! We had bonded both aircraft and followed the book. ... You do not have a certificated aircraft. The designer probably had no engineering skills, expertise or resources.

4 points by kirubakaran 18y ago

Environment-friendly ... solar or wind energy In what way(s) could diffuse fuels such as solar and wind be considered environment-friendly?

jcdreads 18y ago
Here's the most obvious way: they cause essentially zero pollution compared with energy from fossil fuels. What wind- and sun-related environmental peril did you have in mind?

DabAsteroid 18y ago

A direct drive 5 KWh (sic) electric motor ... flight time would be 1.5 to 2 hours. ... A full charge will cost you around 60 cents depending on where your power comes from. If the energy were from wind or solar, the energy would cost around $1/kWh * 5kW * 2hrs = $1/kWh * 10kWh = $10. If that can last 140 miles, that works out to 7 cents per mile, or $5 per flight-hour. The top end battery pack costs 8,500 $. So that is 1000 cycles = 1500 flying hours at a cost of 6.2 $ per hour! (cost of battery replacement divided by flying hours plus 60 cents per charging cycle). If flight time were 2 hours, the pack replacement cost would be $4.25/flighthour. With solar/wind electricity as $5/hr fuel, this would add up to $9.25/flighthour. Edit: the website says the large battery pack only holds 5.6kwh. Perhaps with losses (charging, etc.), that would approach the above figure of 10kWh per flight. http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html

DabAsteroid 18y ago

Judging by the information on the Electraflyer website, much of the information at the blog seems to be wrong. The $18,385.00 price is not for the pictured Electraflyer C explerimental plane, but for this open-air frame tricycle with fabric wing: http://www.electraflyer.com/tech.html http://www.electraflyer.com/tech.html It is that tricycle that weighs only 247 lbs, not the experimental plane (the Electraflyer C), which is based on an "all metal Moni motor glider". http://www.electraflyer.com/electraflyerc.html http://www.electraflyer.com/electraflyerc.html The Moni was first introduced at the 1981 Oshkosh Convention. It was designed by John Monnett and sold as a complete kit including the engine and instruments. ... Approximately 380 kits were sold between 1982 and 1986. It is unknown how many Moni's have been completed and are currently flying. The manufacturer of this neat little airplane, Monnett Experimental Aircraft, later INAV Inc., went out of business in 1986. http://edhlund.com/monimain.htm http://edhlund.com/monimain.htm

DabAsteroid 18y ago

These are the Moni motorglider specs: http://edhlund.com/monispec.htm http://edhlund.com/monispec.htm It weighed 260 lbs, empty. Construction: "all aluminum bonded and riveted".

DabAsteroid 18y ago

Here is a flight report from a Moni motorglider, similar to the one erroneously pictured at dancewithshadows.com: http://edhlund.com/PIREP01.htm http://edhlund.com/PIREP01.htm On my seventh flight I was ready for some mild aerobatics. I entered a left barrel roll at 4000 ft. and, 3/4 complete, experienced airframe vibration, loss of elevator control and nose pitchdown. I closed the throttle and held full back elevator but the pitch attitude, airspeed and vibration level all continued to increase until I was at a nearly 90 degree nosedown attitude and the airframe sounded like I was inside a garbage can being assaulted by baseball bats. About this time there was a tremendous "crack" and the airplane dissapeared from around me. I was tumbling through the air losing conciousness, but still strapped in my seat. Because of the violent motion I was unable to release the lap belt. The last thing I remember before losing conciousness was reaching for my parachute D-ring while saying goodbye to the world. Miraculously, I regained conciousness on the ground, where I slowly realized that I was still strapped to the rear of the airframe, which had joined me in a fully unconcious parachute descent to a sitting landing in a nice plowed field. Another complete story follows where I got the seat belt released, only to be parachute dragged in a 20 knot wind with one arm and a dislocated shoulder entangled in the shroud lines, before finally shedding the chute. There were lots of broken bones and aches and pains. The NTSB investigation revealed that the starboard wing skin had debonded. The skin had departed outward, broken the spar and broken the aircraft in half at the spar box. After some healing, and doing some research, I found that experts had been advising Monnett against this bonding method. He subsequently mandated a riveted wing, but didn't describe why as eloquently as I could have. Your editor, Carlos Emmons, and I then stripped the bonded skin from his wings (he wasn't flying yet) so easily it couldn't be believed. A little loosening with a knife at the trailing edge to get a finger hold, and a single jerk had the whole skin in our hands! We had bonded both aircraft and followed the book. ... You do not have a certificated aircraft. The designer probably had no engineering skills, expertise or resources.