Experimenter

NOV 2014

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/418587

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36 Vol.3 No.11 / November 2014 UNDER THE COWL PIPISTREL CAUSED A BIG buzz at the French Salon de Blois fly- in at the end of August by presenting the WATTsUP, an all-electric, two-seat light-sport aircraft (LSA)/European microlight. While the whole world is mainly talking about the feasibility of electric propulsion in aviation, Pipistrel presented a near-to-production aircraft. Pipistrel is still fine-tuning the airplane and in few months will be able to deliver an LSA-compliant aircraft. This is Pipistrel's fifth electric aircraft project (the second to result in a commer- cial product) and probably the first two-seat LSA on the world market. WATTsUP had its maiden flight on August 12, 2014, in Slovenia. By September 10, it had logged more than 30 fly- ing hours. Pipistrel developed WATTsUP in partnership with the German company Siemens AG, which provided the main electric propulsion components, and Siemens is still on board in other Pipistrel electric projects. WATTsUP represents the next generation of Pipistrel electric aircraft, and it has a great potential to become a bestseller. In the past 25 years, Pipistrel has proved to be quite capable of designing innovative and efficient aircraft, of being able to manufacture them on an industrial scale at a high-quality level, and its aircraft are long-lasting products with good resale value. All of this plus the pretty conventional look of the WATTsUP suggest the best ingre- dients for a successful product start. According to Pipistrel CEO and owner Ivo Boscarol, this aircraft is "opening a new class in the aircraft world." On that warm and sunny Saturday morning in Blois, we got our first look at a pretty conventional-looking two-seat micro- light/LSA built in traditional Pipistrel style. If it hadn't been decorated with electronic print-board decals, nobody would have identified it as a new and game-changing aircraft. Its conventional look is one of the reasons why this aircraft likely will be successful. The airframe uses proven features from hundreds of Pipistrel's aircraft flying around the world. An attentive observer will find an uncommonly fat, two-bladed propeller that features twice the blade chord length than what's usually found on conventional aircraft of the same type. Other differences are hidden to the occasional observer. Behind the propeller, the remov- able engine cowling is shorter than normal; where the Ro- tax 912 engine would typically be, there is now an extraor- dinarily compact electric propulsion unit. The 85-kilowatt electric motor weighs 31 pounds and is reportedly more powerful than the Rotax 912. This lightweight propulsion unit can supersede not only the 912 but even the Rotax 914 turbo engine in performance. Pipistrel Launches An All- Electric Light-Sport Aircraft BY MARINO BORIC Photography by Marino Boric

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