{"id":14161,"date":"2021-08-12T14:52:12","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T21:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=14161"},"modified":"2021-08-13T12:29:15","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T19:29:15","slug":"a-pulitzer-written-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/a-pulitzer-written-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"A Pulitzer Written in the Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

Itching to test your electric airplane\u2019s cross-country capabilities?\u00a0 A new Pulitzer Electric Air Race of over 1,000 nautical miles (1,150.78 statute miles to be exact) between Nebraska and North Carolina will show who has the fastest electric flying machine.<\/p>\n

Jim Moore, reporting for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)<\/a>, shows the connection between the original Pulitzer Trophy and today\u2019s electric competition.\u00a0 \u201cFive of the first six pilots to have their names engraved on the Pulitzer Trophy were military airmen clocked around a closed course at speeds starting at 157 mph in 1920, up to a blistering 248 mph by 1925. The trophy was created to inspire innovation, and particularly faster airplanes. That vintage trophy housed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will be engraved with its first new name in 97 years in 2022, following completion of a 1,000-nautical-mile cross-country race by up to 25 electric aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The art deco styling of the Pulitzer Trophy would look good on any aviator’s mantle<\/p><\/div>\n

Ralph Pulitzer was son of Joseph Pulitzer, whose prizes for literature and the arts are widely recognized.\u00a0 Ralph created the races to promote speed over closed courses.\u00a0 Scott Neumann, a retired U. S. Air Force pilot is director of the current competition, which will be run under the auspices of the National Aeronautic Association<\/a>, the American branch<\/a> of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We need to remember that by 1920, aircraft had been evolving for 17 years, with huge technological and government boosts from World War One.\u00a0 Electric aircraft are starting that evolutionary development once again, and competition will encourage adventurers and scientists alike in promoting that development.<\/p>\n

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Mitchel Field, New York, 25 November, 1920.\u00a0 Aptly named Corliss Champion Moseley<\/b> managed 156.54 mph over a 29-mile triangle course<\/p><\/div>\n

The planned route for the race runs between Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska and Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina.\u00a0 Perhaps more closely tied to aeronautical history, First Flight Airport at Kill Devil Hill, \u201cHas no electric charging infrastructure yet installed, and its amenities are limited to restrooms, a pilot lounge, and Wi-Fi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much as the \u201crecord\u201d attempts lately in Europe, Australia, and California, the route will have to accommodate stops for recharging both the airplanes and pilots.\u00a0 Up to 25 participants will fly heavier-than-air of any type other than drones.\u00a0 This will be a visual flight rules (VFR) daylight-only trek, and times \u201cbetween liftoff and landing\u201d will be recorded by \u201con-board GPS devices provided by [the] NAA (National Aeronautics Association).<\/p>\n

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Joby’s eVTOL has already proven its ability to fly over 150 miles at speed<\/p><\/div>\n

The official rules set out the constraints for the race.\u00a0 \u201cThe Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Air Race (\u201cthe race\u201d) is a 1000 nm cross-country air race from Omaha, NE to near Kitty Hawk, NC. The race is a multi-day event scheduled for 16 \u2013 19 May 2022. Each contestant must complete the race within a four-day window beginning at the start of civil twilight the morning of 16 May 2022 and ending at the end of civil twilight the evening of 19 May 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

The draft rules can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Expect a Variety<\/h4>\n

Beyond that, fixed wing or vertical takeoff and landing craft are on equal terms.\u00a0 The point is to go from Point A to Point B as expeditiously as possible.\u00a0 \u201cElectric propulsion is a must, though that electricity can be stored in any combination of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, optionally augmented by solar panels.\u201d\u00a0 This seems to enable every type of electric aircraft now flying to participate, and allows the possibility of new, as yet unseen, designs.\u00a0 The two first place finishers in 2011\u2019s Green Flight Challenge could compete, as well as machines from Pipistel, Bye Aerospace, and any number of home-built craft such as the eSonex or eGull, or even the Sunseeker Duo.<\/p>\n

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Mark Beierle flying his eGull over his California launch pad<\/p><\/div>\n

The AOPA reports, \u201cWe wanted to design a race that advances electric aviation technology, and promotes public acceptance of electric aviation, by flying real aircraft in real airspace, landing at real airports,\u201d Neumann said. \u201cWe have designed the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race to provide an open canvas for design innovations, and to be a sort of flying expo for the electric aviation industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race could use more sponsors to join Signature Flight Support<\/a>, a network of fixed base operators on airports around the world, and Flight Aware<\/a>, a flight tracking and data collection service.\u00a0 The latter service, especially, will allow tracking \u201cthe progress of each race aircraft online in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

STEM Programs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Hoping to encourage young peoples\u2019 interest in aeronautics, \u201cThe NAA is also partnering with Carrot\u2122, a nationally recognized Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) organization,<\/a> to leverage the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race as a STEM educational outreach opportunity.\u00a0 Fifth and sixth grade school science classes will explore electrical power systems and their application to aeronautical engineering in the semester leading up to the race. \u00a0Science classes and clubs entered in the Pulitzer STEM Challenge will apply what they have learned to design their own electric race aircraft. \u00a0Students will follow their favorite competitors in real time along with the rest of the world via publicly available internet flight tracking on\u00a0FlightAware.com<\/a> and here on the NAA Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race website. \u00a0The class with the best design and presentation will win the Pulitzer STEM Challenge and be invited to Washington, DC for a special VIP guided tour of the National Air and Space Museum and be honored guests at the Pulitzer Trophy presentation event.\u201d\u00a0 The payoff should be an incentive for science teachers all over America.<\/p>\n

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Winner of the NASA 2011 Green Flight Challenge, HY4 could challenge the field, already demonstrating 200-mile range and 100 mph speed.\u00a0 eGenius was a close contender.<\/p><\/div>\n

Waiting to Hear<\/h4>\n

The AOPA article ends with a wistful note.\u00a0 “It was not immediately clear who will be lining up to race from Omaha to (near) Kitty Hawk, with several recharging stops almost certainly required due to physics and current battery capacity. There are more than 300 electric VTOL aircraft currently in development, and a few electric airplanes already in service, with more on the way. Messages sent to about half a dozen industry leaders produced some expressions of curiosity, but no firm commitments.”\u00a0 Certainly, the Pulitzer Electric Air Race should be a draw, with the public exposure of electric aircraft a grand inducement to participate.<\/p>\n