{"id":10036,"date":"2015-06-21T23:42:48","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T06:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=10036"},"modified":"2015-06-21T23:52:53","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T06:52:53","slug":"euroisraeli-hybrid-powers-neat-italian-ulm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/euroisraeli-hybrid-powers-neat-italian-ulm\/","title":{"rendered":"Euro\/Israeli hybrid Powers Neat Italian ULM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great minds tend in the same directions.\u00a0 Newton and Leibniz both came up with the calculus at roughly the same time, both goaded to develop a way to determine the orbit of Halley\u2019s Comet.\u00a0 So it\u2019s no surprise that two different groups would come up with similar solutions to developing a backup hybrid system for light aircraft.\u00a0 Within weeks of one another, Spain\u2019s UC3M<\/a> and Israel\u2019s Ashot Ashkelon both unveiled add-on hybrid systems for Rotax engines.<\/p>\n

Aviation Week <\/a>identifies the second team\u2019s players in its report.\u00a0 \u201cAn innovative hybrid propulsion system (HPS) for light aircraft \u2013 manned or unmanned \u2013 is being unveiled here at the Paris Air Show. The HPS was developed by an international consortium <\/a>headed by Israel\u2019s Ashot Ashkelon, Italian light aircraft developer CFM Air and Italian hybrid propulsion specialist Efesto.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ashot<\/a>

Ashot Ashkelon hybrid system with Rotax 912 or 914, electric motor\/generator<\/p><\/div>\n

Similar to the Madrid University\u2019s design, Ashot Ashkelon\u2019s<\/a> system includes a new propeller shaft, a new gearbox developed by Ashot, a DC\/AC power converter and controller, and a \u201clight, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor acting as motor-alternator, coupled to the new shaft.\u201d\u00a0 Efesto<\/a> reportedly supplies a \u201chigh-capacity lithium-polymer battery with power management system for power storage.\u201d\u00a0 Another source credits Efesto with the electric motor also, although it looks a great deal like an Emrax product and similar to the unit on the UC3M system.<\/p>\n

\"System<\/a>

System as shown at Paris Air Show<\/p><\/div>\n

The 30 kilogram (66 pounds) HPS can operate in piston engine mode only, or in coupled piston engine\/motor mode for extra power to shorten takeoffs and increase climb rates.\u00a0 One intriguing option can cut off the piston engine to operate in \u201csilent mode\u201d flight \u2013 something Israeli defense planners may find useful for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).\u00a0 Another option allows the using the electric motor as an alternator for battery charging and as a starter for the Rotax. \u00a0On landing, the electric motor alone can act as a thrust reverser for extremely short rollouts. \u00a0Electric propulsion only in the air, \u201cprovid[es] active vibration damping for smoother, low-level flight,\u201d according to Aviation Week<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"CFM<\/a>

CFM Dardo airplane with designer. Hybrid Power System will be test flown later in year<\/p><\/div>\n

At this year\u2019s Paris Air Show, the HPS debuted on a hybrid version of the Dardo light aircraft from CFM Air<\/a>.\u00a0 Whereas the Madrid system provided up to 20 kilometers or approximately 12 miles\u00a0for the pilot to use electric power to find a landing site in the event of engine failure, Ashot\u2019s system gives an attention-focusing six minutes (which might be 12 miles at the Dardo’s cruise speed).\u00a0 The system serves as an optional safety measure and theoretically replaces an emergency recovery system \u2013 although it really wouldn\u2019t be a great help in the event of a structural failure.<\/p>\n

Kate Sarsfield with Flight Global<\/em> <\/a>reports that former Italian astronaut and Eurofighter test pilot\u00a0Maurizio Cheli designed the carbon fiber aircraft.\u00a0 A sleek looking aircraft in either 450 kilogram (990 pound) or 600 kilogram (1,320 pound) form, it looks great flying over northern Italian lakes near its home base near Turin, Italy. \u00a0An\u00a0extra six minutes to reach shore would be reassuring at the low altitudes flown in the video.<\/p>\n