The Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race is being postponed from May 2023 to a later date that is yet to be determined, according to officials with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA).
The race was introduced at the 15th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium in July 2022 as a 1,000 nautical mile cross-country air race for zero-emission electric propulsion aircraft of all types, including fixed wing airplanes, rotorcraft, and multi-rotor aircraft designs emerging from the Advanced Air Mobility sector.
The race is intended as a resumption of the Pulitzer air races first held by the NAA in the early 1920s as the highlight of the popular National Air Races of that time, officials noted.
“The NAA remains fully committed to holding the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race as an exciting venue for the advancement of practical electric propulsion aircraft,” stated NAA President and CEO Greg Principato.
“The NAA intends to host a world class race event for this new class of aircraft,” he continued. “However, economic conditions and a strong priority by the aircraft manufacturers on product development and certification hampered our ability to secure the necessary sponsorships in time for a race in 2023.”
The director of the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race, Scott Neumann, explained that there was an encouraging response from the industry to the electric air race initiative to promote the environmental benefits, sustainability, and technical readiness of electric aviation.
“We had a great response from potential competitors in the Pulitzer race during our pre-registration last December, and are confident that like-minded partners will join us for the race going forward and make the Pulitzer Trophy the standard of excellence in electric aviation,” he said.
For more information: PulitzerAirRace.org
It is a strange world we live in. So-called reporters and their agenda-driven, political friends live in some alternative reality and babble about aircraft operated on hydrogen, fuel cells, and/or batteries. Meanwhile, out here in the real world the FAA is focused on making sure that our hopelessly outdated GA aircraft remain so with magnetos, carburetors with carburetor ice, and manual mixture control.
Any product or idea that is sold to “save the planet”, or stop the oceans from boiling, as Al Gore recently claimed, is not economically viable. No wonder this race was called off. Maybe they ran out of extension cord to their local coal- or gas-fired powerplant, where most of the electricity for battery planes originate.
So…..’ a strong priority by the aircraft manufacturers on product development ‘.
I read this as ‘ we don’t think our aircraft can fly the 1,000 miles, oh and we would have to drive a 50kW , diesel generator to every airport the aircraft needs to land at. ‘
With the current batteries having only 1/20th of the energy capacity, by weight, it will be a very long time before the battery capacity is increased….or a miracle occurs.!!
[ there will still be the recharging issue…time and DC charge equipment ]