{"id":11791,"date":"2018-06-06T17:45:54","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T00:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=11791"},"modified":"2018-06-06T17:45:54","modified_gmt":"2018-06-07T00:45:54","slug":"sun-flyer-2-to-be-powered-by-siemens-motor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/sun-flyer-2-to-be-powered-by-siemens-motor\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun Flyer 2 to be Powered by Siemens Motor"},"content":{"rendered":"

George Bye has been enjoying a year filled with great expectations (and accomplishments).\u00a0 With 121 deposits on the Bye Aerospace <\/a>Sun Flyer 2 from seven countries, the training aircraft needs only two things to make dreams come true for a large number of people \u2013 a motor and FAA certification.<\/p>\n

Siemens Steps In<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a joint press release, Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, announced a partnership with Siemens that will see the German firm \u201ccollaborate on future development of Bye Aerospace\u2019s Sun Flyer 2.”<\/p>\n

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L-to-R: Olaf Otto, Siemens Head of eAircraft Sales and Business Development; and George Bye, Bye-Aerospace CEO. flanked by Siemens small aircraft motors<\/p><\/div>\n

Bye explained, \u201cWe are pleased to announce an agreement with Siemens to provide the electric propulsion motor and inverter for the Sun Flyer program.\u00a0 They will be an active partner through the FAA certification and production phase for the Sun Flyer 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

Siemens will supply the two-seater with its SP70D motor with a peak output of 90 kilowatts (115 hp.) and a continuous rating of 70 kW (90 hp.).\u00a0 Bye explained the nice \u201cfit\u201d with the Sun Flyer 2.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cGiven its performance and form factor, the SP70D motor is perfect for Sun Flyer.\u00a0 Members of the Siemens team have already been participating in development and certification meetings with the FAA, and we will be making future announcements about progress with the Sun Flyer 2\u2019s flight test program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Frank Anton, Executive Vice President and Head of eAircraft for Siemens, added,\u00a0\u201cThe Siemens SP70D motor has been specifically designed for the needs of 2-seater flight trainers.\u00a0 We know that safety, performance and cost of electric propulsion in the flight training market will be game changing and we are proud to partner on the Sun Flyer family of aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bye Aerospace claims that their trainer will have a total operating cost of $14.00 per hour (compared to $88.31\/hour for a Cessna 172).\u00a0 Even better, the coming four-seat Sun Flyer 4 will feature $19.80 total operating costs per hour (Compared to $122\/hour for a Cessna 182).\u00a0 These low operating costs and minimal maintenance costs, compared to piston-engine alternatives, might breathe new life into a moribund pilot training market.<\/p>\n

Siemens is a\u00a0huge international business with $92 billion in revenues last year.\u00a0 This level of backing will be a welcome change in the usually cash-strapped world of private aviation.\u00a0 Siemens has grand plans for its electric aircraft motors, though, including powering Uber\u2019s sky taxis and large-scale regional airliners.\u00a0 See this presentation <\/a>for an overview of Siemens\u2019 far-ranging efforts in electric aviation.<\/p>\n

A Sad Note<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As a counterpoint to this encouraging news, a Siemens-powered Magnus eFusion crashed in its native Hungary, killing its two occupants.\u00a0 One report indicated a fire had occurred before the craft crashed and burned.<\/p>\n

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Siemens motor in Magnus eFusion at Friedrichafen<\/p><\/div>\n

HA-XEF was on display at this year\u2019s Aero Expo at Friedrichshafen, Germany<\/a>.\u00a0 We will report on this story as accident reports become available.<\/p>\n

We offer condolences to the associates, friends, and family of the pilots.<\/p>\n