{"id":8926,"date":"2014-05-23T18:56:49","date_gmt":"2014-05-24T01:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=8926"},"modified":"2014-05-24T15:43:54","modified_gmt":"2014-05-24T22:43:54","slug":"eas-viii-calin-gologan-george-bye-make-sunlit-announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/eas-viii-calin-gologan-george-bye-make-sunlit-announcement\/","title":{"rendered":"EAS VIII: Calin Gologan and George Bye Make a Sunlit Announcement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calin Gologan of PC-Aero GMBH<\/a> in Germany and George Bye of Bye Aerospace<\/a> in Colorado made an auspicious announcement about practical solar-electric propulsion advances for manned and unmanned aircraft.\u00a0 Their presentation at the eighth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium pointed toward a possible rebirth in flight training at prices not seen in decades.\u00a0 Their two companies are forging an alliance called the Aero Electric Aircraft Corporation (AEAC)<\/a>, which will produce a two-seat, side-by-side sport and training aircraft called the Sun Flyer.\u00a0 As stated in their press release, \u201cThe Company will bring to market the first U.S.-sponsored, practical all-electric airplane serving the training, recreational and general aviation markets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Elektra<\/a>

Elektra One flies near Cannes, France in 2013. Sun Flyer trainer will have fixed tricycle gear<\/p><\/div>\n

Gologan and Bye\u2019s talk at the Symposium focused on their joint plans to create practical solar-electric propulsion advances in manned and unmanned small aircraft.\u00a0 Each partner has demonstrated experience in forging new directions for electric light aircraft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calin Gologan\u2019s PC-Aero, for instance, consults on propulsion, structures and aerodynamics, and has produced Elektra One, a single-seat electric airplane that has flown at Friedrichshafen and Oshkosh.\u00a0 From that, he has developed the Elektra Two Trainer and Record, with unmanned and piloted versions that will explore different performance realms.<\/p>\n

The SolarStratos,<\/a> a specially “tuned” version of the Record with Raphael Domjan as project founder and pilot, will explore the upper atmosphere, powered undoubtedly by a new motor development which Gologan unveiled during the Symposium.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Elektra UAS will offer a civil, certified unmanned system that can be autonomous under 30.000 feet with a safety pilot remotely controlling or up to 80,000 feet without any remote human assistance.\u00a0 With a five meters-per-second (984 feet per minute) rate of climb, the claimed two hours to exceed that top altitude seems reasonable since brushless electric motors don\u2019t feel the effects of altitude as do internal combustion engines.<\/p>\n

As with any well-designed electric aircraft, the power required to maintain level flight at best glide ratio is a fraction of the power required for takeoff and climb.\u00a0 The SolarStratos will require a mere 2.2 kilowatts \u00a0(2.95 horsepower) for cruise.<\/p>\n

Gologan demonstrated a new type of motor, a dual version of the Eck-Geiger pancake motor which has two separate motors sharing a single output shaft and capable of being run together or independently.\u00a0 This should enhance safe operation for training.<\/p>\n