First flight Zenith 750 Electric

[red750]

From Facebook

 

[red750]

[onetrack]

I'm not sure what his aims and logic are here, but a lot of it is contradictory. Bridges claims the E-750 is only good for 30 or 40 mile hops, which is what he reckons is adequate for the delivery of urgent medicines - which is what he's targeting.

But a lot of areas in urgent need of medicine, are vast distances away from civilisation, that's why they're called "remote". 30 or 40 miles is easily covered by a motorcycle courier with a backpack or a crate on a bike carrier, so I don't see his logic.

 

https://www.key.aero/article/electric-sky-jeep

[red750]

Well, we are talking UK.

[Marty_d]

Wrong shape for electric.  Similar to the 701, it's got a built in headwind. 

[kgwilson]

A cheap testbed is always handy. Later you can consider weight, efficiency and energy storage. 30-40 miles range is useless though.

[Red]

I'm not sure why people build these things , its not advancing anything its just buying some existing tech and ending up with an aeroplane that doesnt do what it did before you ripped the engine out.

What am I not getting?

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

I'll try to answer that red, even though I see your point....

1. Electric has a lot of advantages over IC. it is more reliable and potentially cheaper. I no longer fly IC engine models because the electric ones are easier.

2. Electric is cleaner than IC. No oil stains etc. ( I once watched in awe as a model plane got stuck in a spin and went into the ground. On examination of the wreckage, we found that the fuse rear contained oil-soaked balsa , so the g of g was too far aft.)

3. electric is the way of the future....  the big carmakers will make their last IC engine cars in about ten years

4. electric suits flying in that it can provide a lot of power to take-off and then go to cruise mode.  I reckon electric dragsters would beat IC ones depending on the rules. Electric could burn rubber as much as you wanted.

5. It would be wonderful if there was a big breakthrough in batteries....  we would all go electric quite quickly. Billions are being spent on the search right now.

6. you can replace electric energy with solar panels or wind generators. I want to do some of this at the farm, mainly for the fun of it but also because I'm a cheapskate and I like solar hot water.

7. We may see the day when fossil fuels are difficult and expensive to get hold of, partly because of greenie legislation and partly because of diminishing markets.

[facthunter]

SHELL just made it's biggest profit in 115 years. You are right about fuel soaked model aircraft. They lose all their strength also. Nev

[kgwilson]

We are not reducing our dependence on fossil fuels fast enough. Last year emissions world wide actually went up to 58 Gigatons from 41 Gigatons in 2021, despite what businesses and governments are supposed to be doing to reduce them. Electric technologies and battery development is increasing at a massive rate but so is the human population (now over 8 billion) and the demand for everything is outstripping our ability to reduce emissions. The Weather extremes of the past few years are exactly as science has predicted but still there are climate deniers.

 

Humanity may lose the battle to manage the planet despite all the efforts to reduce emissions.

 

Electric with some other helpers like green hydrogen is certainly the way of the future and every effort to produce electricity storage and electrically driven transport, equipment, appliances and everything else is step in the right direction.

[kgwilson]

Not for 2022. China was by far the worst with the USA next.

 

Have a look at the Global Energy Review from the International Energy Agency. Link below

 

2021 Energy Review

[Jabiru7252]

I've said this a zillion times before, if our population keeps growing, it does not matter what we do with respect to energy needs, pollution etc. we will be doomed. Babies born today may well die of starvation because the last fat rat has been eaten by the starving. I'm sure glad I am in my twilight years and have no kids/grandkids to worry over. As for the Zenith flying medical supplies in the UK, silly idea.

[facthunter]

WE ARETHE EPIDEMIC and It's all happened in the recent past AND still happening You know what causes it. Get real about contraception. Churches attitude is catastrophe. Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

Well the churches are bound to say that food will rain down from heaven if needed. Personally, I support the sustainable population party, not that this counts for much. The average Australian thinks we need more population not less.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I don't include the locals in that bit incidentally. Farmers seem to be smarter than city folk  and I wonder why sometimes. We actually have a decreasing population around here, with abandoned farm-houses that once had big families. Our property, for example, is made up of 3 older farms.

My only explanation is that prices for farm produce have fallen a lot, and city life attracts young people.

[facthunter]

IF you love gambling, take up farming.  Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

U sure right there facthunter It can cost about $200,000 to put a crop in and a drought will kill it all. In an ideal world, the bank would carry some of the risk, but they don't in this one.

[facthunter]

The risk is all yours. Been there . Done that.   Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

Nah, we don't put crops in cos we don't want to afford the cost. Wanna buy some meat sheep?

[Thruster88]

7 hours ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

I don't include the locals in that bit incidentally. Farmers seem to be smarter than city folk  and I wonder why sometimes. We actually have a decreasing population around here, with abandoned farm-houses that once had big families. Our property, for example, is made up of 3 older farms.

My only explanation is that prices for farm produce have fallen a lot, and city life attracts young people.

This is my 40th year of farming and 39th flying, started young and still young. As tractors became larger a single farmer could farm more area. Farming is a game like monopoly, some like the game others not so much. Those that like the game buy and expand their holding or make off farm investments, for this to happen there must be willing sellers. Price, supply and demand fluctuate. Ultimately the farm gate price has to be high enough for the farmer to plant the next crop. Without the next crop none of use will be here next year.

[Thruster88]

8 hours ago, facthunter said:

IF you love gambling, take up farming.  Nev

It is the only gamble that pays off long term. The gambler has a lot more control of their destiny that other forms of gambling.  

[facthunter]

The Banks, the  irrigation, fertilizer and spray people and the pickers get their money but the farmer is last in line. When they have a good crop so  does everyone else and you pick it to go on the ground or sell for less than Cost of production.  Nev

[Thruster88]

2 minutes ago, facthunter said:

sell for less than Cost of production.  Nev

That my friend gets vet old very quickly, it happens occasionally, a few years and your out of the game. Remember this is not a government job.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Here's an amazing thing... it can cost you more to shear the sheep than you get for the wool.

[facthunter]

I did make money in wine grape growing but plenty of others didn't and I sold about 5 years before the prices plummeted and they haven't recovered.   Nev