For the third time, the e-flight-expo will feature many new developments as part of AERO, the Global Show for General Aviation in Friedrichshafen, Germany, slated for April 13-16. This year will feature more exhibitors and many new aircraft with electric, fuel cell and hybrid power trains, as well as the first-ever Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize, according to organizers.
About 550 exhibitors from 26 countries will be represented across 11 halls at the exhibition on Lake Constance.
The “e” in e-flight stands for electrical, ecological and evolutionary advances in aviation, organizers note, adding the highlight of the exhibition will be the awarding of the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize (LEAP), which will be presented by Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh. The prize is given for outstanding achievements in the development of electric flight.
Lindbergh has lined up an impressive list of supporters for the initiative. The descendants and close relatives of aviation pioneers Claude Dornier, Igor Sikorsky, Marcel Dassault and Count Zeppelin will be on hand to encourage the future innovators in aviation. Bertrand Piccard, who has circled the globe in a balloon and is the grandson of the atmospheric scientist Auguste Piccard, has also announced his attendance, as long as the test flights for his electric flight project Solar Impulse allow.
The e-flight-expo will also demonstrate practical applications. The Chinese electric aviation pioneer Yuneec will demonstrate its e430 electric aircraft, which was first shown at Aero in 2010, as well as its smaller electric ultralight model, the E-Spyder. Besides these two models, the manufacturer will also show off its latest project, the two-seater E-Viva. The motor glider was developed in collaboration with Aircraft Composites before being taken over by Yuneec and fitted with an electric motor. The glider, which has two side-by-side seats and a folding propeller in the aircraft’s nose, is powered by a 40-kilowatt electric motor that runs on batteries.
Other exhibitors will present new concepts for electric aircraft, as well as finished models and mockups, including the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel, which will introduce a four-seater hybrid aircraft that uses electric propulsion for takeoff and landing. The German light aircraft manufacturer Flight Design will also present new developments with its hybrid drive, which consists of a Rotax 914 combustion engine and an electric motor.
For more information: Aero-Expo.com
I saw over at JAXA they were studying electric drive for the wheels to taxi and such, i.e. assist take-off, in small planes. Great idea! My grand-dad used to run a crash boats for those big clippers on the water at the now seriously neglected Flushing Airport, and today certainly better control on the tarmac, would be a plus.