{"id":1993,"date":"2010-10-28T06:43:59","date_gmt":"2010-10-28T13:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=1993"},"modified":"2010-10-28T06:43:59","modified_gmt":"2010-10-28T13:43:59","slug":"getting-wired-on-the-e-spyder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/getting-wired-on-the-e-spyder\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Wired on the e-Spyder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephan Boutenko of Alternair<\/a> passed this along, and it is worth a read.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jason Paur of Wired<\/em> Magazine\u2019s Autopia web site reports <\/a>on flying Tom Peghiny\u2019s e-Spyder, a combination of Tom\u2019s Flightstar ultralight with a Yuneec motor, controller and battery.<\/p>\n

Paur\u2019s impressions are highly positive, with the desire to continue the experience.\u00a0 He notes, \u201cFlying on battery power is about the unique experience of flying without the noise, vibration and smells of a traditional engine pulling you along. It\u2019s an entirely different sensation. And like gliding, it is about the challenge of flying within the limitations of the aircraft and maximizing your time aloft.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019It\u2019s like hypermiling a flight,\u2019 Peghiny says.\u201d\u00a0 Hypermiling in automobiles is the act of conserving fuel by tactics such as accelerating gently to a speed somewhat above the average desired, then coasting to a point below that average and accelerating again.\u00a0 Electric aircraft may require such tactics for at least the immediate future until battery technology catches up with our desire to fly with full afterburners.\u00a0 Indeed, one attendee at the fourth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium told this author that Yuneec representatives had advised just\u00a0such a\u00a0careful\u00a0approach on their E-430.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tom Peghiny gives Wired writer Jason Paur some last-minute pre-flight tips. Wired Magazine photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Paur sums up on a happy note.\u00a0 \u201cOn the other hand, the sensation you feel while flying is unlike anything you\u2019ve experienced. The sound is dominated by the air rushing by, there is no smell of gas or exhaust and no buzzing vibration being transmitted from the engine through the airframe.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlying so smoothly and quietly makes you wish there were a bottomless battery available so you could fly around all day.\u201d<\/p>\n