Thursday, March 5, 2009

Zap! Goes The Waiex

Given half a chance to sound an optimistic note in these times, we jump on it, so here you go: There's lots of positive energy, pardon the pun, going into electric powered LSA.
Long time kit designer/builder John Monnett has created classic experimental-built aircraft for decades, among them the Monerai sailplane, Moni motorglider, $25,000 Sonex E-LSA monoplane kit, and now the electric-powered Waiex. That Waiex link takes you to the site of e-Flight Initiative, put up by AeroConversions, the powerplant division of Sonex. The e-Flight site describes the company's research and development of electric power plants.
Monett says, in this video, that he's hoping for 1-hour flight
duration from this first powerplant. It's a 50 lb. brushless electric motor, with a 200 lb. battery.
BTW, smaller versions of brushless motors are all the rage in electric RC models these days. The link takes you to RC Toys, one of many online vendors who sell electric models, engines, servos, controllers, batteries and all the other stuff that has revolutionized model aircraft in the last decade.

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