Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/126719
Flightline Evektor's Electric SportStar EPOS Makes First Flights Czech aircraft manufacturer Evektor-Aerotechnik flew its electric-powered SportStar EPOS airplane for the first time on March 28 at the Kunovice Airport in the Czech Republic. Evektor's factory pilot, Radek Sury, made two flights totaling about 30 minutes. The SportStar EPOS (electric-powered small aircraft) derives from Evektor's SportStar RTC and is being developed for private customers as well as flight schools for primary pilot training. According to the company, EPOS is powered by a 50-kilowatt Rotex Electric RE X90-7 motor and employs a new, extended trapezoidal wing. Subsequent flight tests will examine the function of the power unit and its effect on the plane's flight and operational characteristics. The SportStar EPOS project received the financial backing from the Czech Republic's Technology Agency, and involved other Czech companies including Rotex Electric, prop manufacturer Aerospace Research and Test Establishment, MGM Compro (motor control unit), and Faculty of Information Technology of Brno University of Technology, which supplied the display unit for motor parameters. For more information, visit www.Evektor.cz. Pipistrel Panthera Flies for the First Time Pipistrel's sleek, new Panthera flew for the first time on April 4, 2013. The Panthera is Pipistrel's first four-place GA aircraft. The 54-minute flight by test pilot Mirko Anzel and co-pilot Saso Knez followed several high-speed taxi tests and runway hops at the company's headquarters. The Panthera, Pipistrel's first non-LSA/ultralight, was first unveiled at Aero Friedrichshafen 2012. The Panthera is made of composite materials with a retractable titanium landing gear. The company claims the 8 Vol.2 No.5 / May 2013 aircraft can fly four people for 1,000 nautical miles at 200 knots at a fuel burn rate of 10 gallons per hour. The prototype is powered by a 210-hp Lycoming engine, but Pipistrel envisions Panthera can also be configured with hybrid or all-electric propulsion systems. A ballistic parachute system is standard. The airplane performed exactly as expected, with handling described as "straightforward and pilot friendly," the company stated. First and subsequent flights were flown with gear down and retracted. "This is Pipistrel's first entry into the world of general aviation," commented Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel CEO. "We knew for a long time that we were capable of developing and producing aircraft larger and more capable than ultralights/ LSA. Panthera is proof that Pipistrel's team can indeed compete with the most eminent global general aviation producers." Panthera is also significant as it's Slovenia's first ever four-place production airplane. For more information, visit www.Panthera-Aircraft.com.