Gforce Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 After watching the full video of the Espyder... It states a build time of 300 hours !! I realized it was in kit form but may thats a REAL kit ! and 40k for that. Hmmm...
dazza 38 Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 I do like the idea of electric, especially if you can get say 3 hours endurance (at cruise speed) and a quick charge at around 30 minutes. or a bloody long extension cord.
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 An electric motor glider with a folding prop/ retractable motor would be really nice, only power it on when you need to. 1
Gforce Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 An electric motor glider with a folding prop/ retractable motor would be really nice, only power it on when you need to. I believe you will be wanting one of these then ! 2
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 I believe you will be wanting one of these then ! Drool....
bexrbetter Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 As for the price... 4 wheeled electric fully enclosed with doors, windows etc cars that are far from a joke are about $3000 on road here, there is nothing more that that plane has materially to jusify the price in anyway.
Downunder Posted August 7, 2013 Posted August 7, 2013 Balistic chute as standard.......does it really need it? For such a low weight/speed a/c......
Head in the clouds Posted August 7, 2013 Author Posted August 7, 2013 Balistic chute as standard.......does it really need it?For such a low weight/speed a/c...... They're compulsory in Europe ...
Gforce Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 They're compulsory in Europe ... I think they are ONLY compulsory in Germany and as this is being certified RTF in Germany they needed to include it in the design..
Head in the clouds Posted August 8, 2013 Author Posted August 8, 2013 I think they are ONLY compulsory in Germany and as this is being certified RTF in Germany they needed to include it in the design.. Are you sure? I thought the whole purpose of VLA and ULA was that they are common to the whole of Europe. I'm still catching up on the changes though so I'm happy to stand corrected, thanks. Or is that the 450kg microlight class through BMAA with BCAR S certification?
Gforce Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 No sorry... not 100% sure but I did read that they are compulsory in Germany so wonder why they would not of written Europe ?
Head in the clouds Posted August 8, 2013 Author Posted August 8, 2013 No sorry... not 100% sure but I did read that they are compulsory in Germany so wonder why they would not of written Europe ? Couldn't say, maybe the article you were reading was about Germany ... The reason they set up common rules for all of Europe was because now the borders are open and there are no passport controls and all anyone needs to travel in most EU countries is a Shengen Visa, it means that folks can quite happily fly around the airspaces of much of Europe in a microlight or LSA and don't have to stay within borders or clear customs before take-off or after landing. "Lunch in St Tropez darling?" is now a reality for microlight owning residents of northern Italy or southern Spain for example. And Dutch gliding clubs hold competitions where they fly deep into Eastern Germany and back - often availing themselves of huge thermals created by power station chimneys along the way.
Gforce Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 Europe`s doors have been open for almost 20 years now ! Whats amazing is that one common rule could be agreed on. I lived in Amsterdam for 7 years when I was 19 and flew these cool little microlights called a Fox. They are very similar to the Xair, ( might be the same family ? ) but I was never allowed to take passengers back then. No one could ! All Microlight pilots were limited to single seat ops !
Head in the clouds Posted August 8, 2013 Author Posted August 8, 2013 .....I lived in Amsterdam for 7 years when I was 19 and flew these cool little microlights called a Fox. They are very similar to the Xair, ( might be the same family ? ) but I was never allowed to take passengers back then. No one could ! All Microlight pilots were limited to single seat ops ! Could well be the same lineage. The X-Air Standard came from the John Chotia Weedhopper. You can see the similarity in the structure and wing shape. John Chotia was a former NASA engineer. Joel Koechlin was a Frenchman who manufactured Weedhoppers in France under licence in the late 1970s. He went to India and met Francoise Armandie at an Ashram and ended up staying in India, and with a Mr Tata (founder of Air India) set up the Raj Hamsa company to build the planes there and supply India with cheap aviation, they called them the X-Air. Hence the X-Air is a truly Indian aircraft, not an aircraft from another country conveniently made in India for its cheap manufacturing/labour costs. Joel and Francoise's daughter is the Bollywood actress called Kalki Koechlin. Some of those earliest French Koechlin Weedhoppers are likely to have got to Holland and/or been copied and are probably what you described having flown. I'm surprised to hear you could only fly single seat though. I flew hanggliders in the 1970s (actually started on a Mk1 Rogallo) and was introduced to powered microlights (trikes) while on holiday in St Tropez in 1977. I was instantly hooked and stayed for quite a while, became an instructor and spent a summer taking people for rides, it was a fantastic money earner too, so the rules must have been very different in France, compared to Holland.
Gforce Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 Well, Im not sure. This was around 96` i guess... The C22 Fox was a two seater... we were just not allowed to take passengers UNLESS they held a licence. Was pretty stupid. Also were restricted to 5000 Msl which in Holland is the same as AGL lol..
Marty_d Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 I believe you will be wanting one of these then ! I agree with the drool... do they make an electric version? Beautiful aircraft.
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 I agree with the drool... do they make an electric version? Beautiful aircraft. Yeah I had a look on their website, electric is an option, my guess is they don't come cheap.
Gforce Posted August 8, 2013 Posted August 8, 2013 I agree with the drool... do they make an electric version? Beautiful aircraft. Sorry I thought I posted the Electric verion but yes, as above they offer the electric version. I think its around the $200,000 mark RTF !
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 Silly question probably, but what happens if you fly into rain, with the electric motor hanging out in the breeze? I assume it is sealed somehow but it will need some sort of airflow for cooling.
Gforce Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 Silly question probably, but what happens if you fly into rain, with the electric motor hanging out in the breeze? I assume it is sealed somehow but it will need some sort of airflow for cooling. Not a silly question ! I would think than in the POH they would clearly state to avoid rain and moisture and most probably cover some guild lines as to washing the aircraft etc. In short.. you do not fly an exposed electric engine in rain. As me how I know
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 Not a silly question ! I would think than in the POH they would clearly state to avoid rain and moisture and most probably cover some guild lines as to washing the aircraft etc. In short.. you do not fly an exposed electric engine in rain. As me how I know I'm guessing you found out the hard way ;) , electric RC?
Head in the clouds Posted August 9, 2013 Author Posted August 9, 2013 Silly question probably, but what happens if you fly into rain, with the electric motor hanging out in the breeze? I assume it is sealed somehow but it will need some sort of airflow for cooling. Not a silly question ! I would think than in the POH they would clearly state to avoid rain and moisture and most probably cover some guild lines as to washing the aircraft etc. In short.. you do not fly an exposed electric engine in rain. As me how I know Good question, and I don't know the answer although I'd be surprised if it is a problem. Assuming we're talking brush-less (therefore cummutator-less) motors, and that the windings' varnish insulation is protected by something harder than varnish (ceramic coating?) and that any electrical connections to the windings are well out of the wet area, and that the ESC is protected/waterproofed/encapsulated, and the bearings would be sealed, would there be a problem?
Gforce Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 I'm guessing you found out the hard way ;) , electric RC? My own fault but.... I was cloud surfing at about 2000 feet and flew though the clouds and killed the motor. It was flying a 2.4 meter motor glider ( FPV flight ) so was able to easily fly back and land a few Ks away. But it showed me that moisture and electric motors don't play well together. Also, when I picked the glider up water poured out the cowl ! Not alot, but enough to make me avoid flying into clouds as fun as it is !
facthunter Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 I can't imagine it would be any more of a problem than sealing high voltage ignition circuits on an infernal combustion engine. Less probably, as the voltages aren't high. Nev
mAgNeToDrOp Posted August 9, 2013 Posted August 9, 2013 If you had to ditch in water for some reason it could get "lively"
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