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/323139
8 Vol.3 No.6 / June 2014 FLIGHTLINE DESSER TIRE & Rubber Company has a new line of backcountry tundra tires. The fi rst new tire is the Aero Classic LSA/Experi- mental 8.50-6 4-ply rating smooth tire. This tire has essentially the same dimensions as the TSO 8.50-6 tires that currently are in use, but it is rated at 4 ply instead of 6. It has a smooth tread profi le, which is designed not to pick up pebbles and rocks and damage the skin of the aircraft. It also is highly defl ected to absorb larger river rocks and gravel. This tire incorporates a tube and will be one of the lightest tires in its class, and it has a high speed rating of 120 mph. Designed for use on most light-sport aircraft (LSA) tailwheel aircraft using Cleveland, Grove, or Matco 6-inch wheel and brake packages, the tire features a generous 5/32-inch-plus tread depth for extended wear. It retails at less than $200 per tire and is manufactured in the United States. The next tire in this series will be a fully sanctioned FAA/TSO 8.50-6 4-ply tire that will be for type-certifi cated aircraft use. Larger 27-inch and 31-inch Aero Clas- sic tires will follow in midsummer of 2014. For further information, please check out the website at www.Desser.com . Desser Tire Introduces New Tundra Tire EMBRY-RIDDLE Aeronautical University and Powering Imagination LLC have entered into an agreement to create an electric fl ight program focused on reducing aircraft emissions and noise through development of electric propulsion systems. Erik Lindbergh, CEO of Powering Imagination, and Dr. Rich- ard (Pat) Anderson, director of the Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle, noted that commercial aviation powerplants emit a signifi cant amount of pollutants into the atmosphere, and aircraft noise is an increasing issue that restricts access to airports and inconveniences neighboring communities. Electric and hybrid- electric power systems of er the potential to signifi cantly reduce both noise and emissions, making aviation more sustainable and opening new possibilities for operations in noise-sensitive areas. Powering Imagination's Quiet Flight Initiative will join with Embry-Riddle's Green Flight Program to enable development of a test aircraft to be used jointly by their programs to acceler- ate the growth of the electric fl ight industry. The students and faculty at the Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona Beach, Florida, will convert a Diamond HK36 motorglider to electric power. This aircraft will be used for testing in noise-sensitive areas to demonstrate the potential benefi ts of electric or hybrid-electric propulsion for signifi cantly reducing noise. The aircraft also will be used for testing new components of electric propulsion systems to provide real-world evaluation under fl ight conditions. This airborne test lab will enable more ef cient R&D; on electric power systems, by creating an aircraft that can be reconfi gured to test new innovations from dif erent companies and develop- ment teams. Embry-Riddle and Powering Imagination estimate that the aircraft will make its fi rst fl ight in the middle of 2015 at the Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fundraising for this multiyear initiative is under way and will enable the purchase of the HK36 airframe, the conversion of the aircraft to electric power, and the operation of the plane for testing methods of reducing emissions and noise. Corporations and individuals interested in supporting this research program and the development of the electric fl ight industry are encour- aged to contact either Powering Imagination (Eric Bartsch, ericb@poweringimagination.com ) or Embry-Riddle Aeronauti- cal University (Lyndse Costabile, costabil@erau.edu ). For regular updates, follow www.Facebook.com/Power- ingImagination or www.PoweringImagination.com . Powering Imagination/Embry-Riddle Create Ambitious Electric Flight Program BEARHAWK AIRCRAFT'S Bearhawk four- place aircraft scored a fi rst-place fi nish at the Texas STOL Roundup held April 11 to 13 in Llano, Texas (KAQO). The winning aircraft, a kit-built Bearhawk four-place manufactured by AviPro of Austin, Texas, competed in the heavy touring class (gross weight from 2,500 to 3,600 pounds). Wayne Massey, Bearhawk Aircraft demo pilot, fl ew the aircraft to a combined takeof and landing distance of 445 feet. The contest was organized using the same rules as the familiar Valdez (Alaska) Fly-In and with more than 200 aircraft present in Texas. A short 2-minute video of the winning Bearhawk can be viewed here . Bearhawk Takes First Place at Texas STOL Roundup E A A E X P _ J u n e 1 4 . i n d d 8 EAAEXP_June14.indd 8 6 / 3 / 1 4 8 : 3 7 A M 6/3/14 8:37 AM