2007 NASA PAV Challenge Results
Tough Competition and Suprise Upsets Mark the Beginning of a Five-year Evolution in Personal Air Vehicles.
See Event Photos
August 16, 2007
The CAFE Foundation's Inaugural NASA PAV Centennial Challenge concluded on August 11 in Santa Rosa, California, and brought forth remarkable performances by several Personal Air Vehicles (PAVs). The event was made possible by support from Boeing Phantom Works.
Winning teams shared cash prizes from NASA totaling $250,000. Prizes were awarded for Shortest Runway, Lowest Noise, Highest Top Speed, Best Handling Qualities, and Most Efficient, with the grand Vantage Prize of $100,000 going to the best combination of performance overall. The first of five annual competitions, this launched NASA's vision for a new age of environmentally-friendly personal air travel.
Vance Turner's Pipistrel Virus (pronounced "Veer-us") flown by Michael Coates of Australia won $160,000 by demonstrating the best MPG (29.8), shortest takeoff distance (736 feet over a 50 foot obstacle), 2nd best top speed (162 mph) and most overall points. The impressive debut of the Virus, a high-tech, carbon fiber Experimental Exhibition aircraft produced in Slovenia will likely move it to the lead among the next generation of low cost aircraft.
David and Dianne Anders, winners of the $50,000 Noise Prize in a highly-modified RV-4, achieved a noise level 3 times quieter than most small aircraft. That this astonishing feat was accomplished while also flying 192 mph is truly a significant advance in reducing noise. A special, low-noise Whirlwind composite propeller combined with an Ultramet Ceramic Foam muffler were key components of the noise reduction modifications on this RV-4.
The $25,000 Handling Qualities Prize was fittingly won by the most popular of all personal aircraft, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
The event was well-attended by the press and public, who enjoyed the PAV Technology Pavilion hosted by EAA Chapter 124. The Pavilion exhibited hands-on demonstrations of several of the key enabling technologies for PAVs, including NASA's fly-by-wire intelligent flight deck, synthetic vision, and the exciting new bio-fueled aircraft engines from GSE.
CAFE's new telemetry system, including its ingenius "BlueBox" and ÜberBarograph, collected and streamed the flight data to the CAFE Flight Test Center.
Results Data
2007 PAV CC Results (Imperial) Best scores in RED:
| |
Vantage Points |
|
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
$50,000 |
$100,000 |
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|
CAF400 |
Runway |
Handling |
Noise |
Vantage |
Top Speed |
| Pipistrel N2471P |
13.9 |
12.7 |
10.4 |
14.5 |
51.6 |
$10,000 |
| Pipistrel N282TT |
10.8 |
7.2 |
11.6 |
14.5 |
44.1 |
|
| Cessna Skyhawk N6351D |
11.2 |
7.4 |
13.0 |
9.5 |
41.1 |
|
| RV-4 N230A |
12.8 |
7.4 |
10.0 |
15.8 |
46.0 |
$15,000 |
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| Aircraft: |
Units |
Pipistrel 71P |
Pipistrel 2TT |
Cessna 51D |
RV-4 30A |
|
| Takeoff Distance |
feet |
736 |
1396 |
1368 |
1360 |
|
| Top Speed |
miles per hour |
162.3 |
152.9 |
142.6 |
192.4 |
|
| Miles per gallon |
miles per gallon |
29.8 |
29.6 |
16.4 |
27.4 |
|
| Handling/Ease of Use |
points |
109.6 |
121.9 |
136.9 |
104.8 |
|
| Cabin Noise |
dBA |
93.0 |
93.0 |
92.0 |
91.0 |
|
| Starting Takeoff Noise |
dBA |
62.5 |
61.5 |
66.5 |
64.5 |
|
| Rate of Climb |
feet per minute |
1122.0 |
919.0 |
638.0 |
2202.0 |
|
| Slowest Speed, IAS |
miles per hour ## |
39.5 |
45.3 |
38.9 |
37.5 |
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| Empty Weight |
pounds |
665.7 |
720.0 |
1513.4 |
1083.0 |
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| CAFE Efficiency Score** |
CAFE points |
88.2 |
68.3 |
71.1 |
81.4 |
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| ## Uncalibrated airspeed |
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| ** Includes ground travel time |
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| mogas: $2.859/gallon |
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| avgas: $3.85/gallon |
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2007 PAV CC Results (Metric) Best scores in RED:
| |
Vantage Points |
|
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
$50,000 |
$100,000 |
|
|
CAFE400 |
Runway |
Handling |
Noise |
Vantage |
Top Speed |
| Pipistrel N2471P, $160,000 |
13.9 |
12.7 |
10.4 |
14.5 |
51.6 |
$10,000 |
| Pipistrel N282TT |
10.8 |
7.2 |
11.6 |
14.5 |
44.1 |
|
| Cessna Skyhawk N6351D, $25,000 |
11.2 |
7.4 |
13.0 |
9.5 |
41.1 |
|
| RV-4 N230A, $65,000 |
12.8 |
7.4 |
10.0 |
15.8 |
46.0 |
$15,000 |
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| Aircraft: |
Units |
Pipistrel 71P |
Pipistrel 2TT |
Cessna 51D |
RV-4 30A |
|
| Takeoff Distance |
meters |
224 |
426 |
417 |
415 |
|
| Top Speed |
kilometers per hour |
261 |
246 |
229 |
310 |
|
| Kilometers per liter |
kilometers per liter |
12.7 |
12.6 |
7.0 |
11.6 |
|
| Handling/Ease of Use |
points |
109.6 |
121.9 |
136.9 |
104.8 |
|
| Cabin Noise |
dBA |
93.0 |
93.0 |
92.0 |
91.0 |
|
| Starting Takeoff Noise |
dBA |
62.5 |
61.5 |
66.5 |
64.5 |
|
| Rate of Climb |
meters per minute |
342.0 |
280.1 |
194.5 |
671.2 |
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| Slowest Speed, IAS |
kilometers per hour ## |
63.6 |
72.9 |
62.6 |
60.3 |
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| Empty Weight |
kilograms |
302.0 |
326.6 |
686.5 |
491.2 |
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| CAFE Efficiency Score** |
CAFE points |
88.2 |
68.3 |
71.1 |
81.4 |
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| ## Uncalibrated airspeed |
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| ** Includes ground travel time |
|
|
|
|
| mogas: $2.859/gallon |
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| avgas: $3.85/gallon |
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| Conversion units |
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| 1.609 * Miles = KM |
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| feet * 0.3048 = meters |
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| 1 US gallon = 3.7854118 liters |
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| 1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms |
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Photos from the 2007 PAV Challenge
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Electric Aircraft 