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/339662
EAA Experimenter 31 BC: Danal Estes has his own aviation company in Texas. He's our electric consultant for this series. He just sent us a Pletten- berg Predator 37 he developed for us. We haven't even run it yet. (This 20-hp, 15-kilowatt motor is a German product that weighs 5.3 pounds, including controller, prop, and carbon-fi ber spinner!) Danal is smart and passionate. He comes from the giant- scale, radio-controlled (RC) ranks. The German Plettenberg is an of -the-shelf motor. We're starting with proven, reliable technology from the RC industry. JL: Who do you see buying this aircraft once it's available? BC: We talked with Malcolm Jones of Wallaby Ranch at Sebring, Florida, this year. (Wallaby Ranch is a hang-gliding, tow-to-altitude mecca in central Florida.) "That's exactly what I need," he said. "I get all these old guys whose 'landing gear' doesn't work so well anymore. I'd love to help them to land with just a bit of power, then be able to taxi the airplane a bit after that." These older boomer pilots have money but can't fly hang gliders comfortably anymore. Malcolm said even 5 min- utes worth of power would be more than he needed for his customers. He saw the reality of what this is: a fixed-wing, fixed-gear hang glider–type of activity that doesn't require our legs to be the landing gear anymore." Malcolm even thinks the aircraft will still be a hit for his operation, even without a motor. He uses Dragonfly towplanes to get hang gliders up to the thermals. Even so, the EMG-6 doesn't need much power to dramati- cally improve its sink rate; make it perform like a glider, even with just a 10-hp motor. We think of this as the equivalent in price of a motorcycle or three-wheeler at around $10,000 to $20,000. At that price level, we believe thousands of people around the world will want to own it. JL: See my hand in the air, waving! BC: We're hoping to get three done in time for (EAA) Air- Venture (Oshkosh) 2014. We may fl y at the show, but there are rules we have to meet fi rst. We hope to have our fi rst airframe- only kit for sale by January 1, 2015. Then we have the whole FAA electric power thing to deal with because FAA doesn't think at this point they'll allow bat- teries as legal "fuel," though we hear that may change. The pre-World War II German aircraft industry was built on gliders. Now they're world leaders. This low-cost fl ying seg- ment of aviation is so critical to the overall aviation infrastruc- ture. We need to start new pilots of at a basic, af ordable level. Then they'll move up. History proves this is how it works. As it stands now, at $150,000 per LSA, GA is not going to sustain itself. There were around 250 new special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) purchased and registered in 2012. That just doesn't work. We need to get the cost of fun aviation down to save it. It's that simple. And get the regulatory environment on board so the industry can create viable low-cost aircraft. I can't imagine politicians will sustain opposition to green technology, more reliable engines, more students, and higher safety. They need to help us, not stand in the way. An example of how the fairing is attached to the 4130-steel fuselage frame; ¾-inch square tubing is cut and profi led to make clips to which the Tinnerman nuts attach. These attachment clips were made large enough to be able to incorporate machine screw net plates or Rivnuts. An example of one of the battery boxes that will supply energy to the motor. The prototype EMG Motorglider on an early taxi-tow test. We used a two-place Quicksilver Sport as the tow vehicle. Photography courtesy of Rainbow Aircraft E A A E X P _ J u l y 1 4 . i n d d 3 1 EAAEXP_July14.indd 31 7 / 1 / 1 4 9 : 5 7 A M 7/1/14 9:57 AM