tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post8503767061477086209..comments2023-01-03T23:26:10.827-08:00Comments on Light Sport Hangar Flyin': LEAP Awards Electric Aviation PrizesEditorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658949494466569701noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-32171875078433302082011-04-21T15:39:16.566-07:002011-04-21T15:39:16.566-07:00Absolutely LOVE the FES concept! It seems like a n...Absolutely LOVE the FES concept! It seems like a natural retrofit for get-me-home capability on existing glider designs and I'm sure the guys are working that angle. The reliability of electric start, the lack of mast door drag and mast drag/weight, all make it a very elegant solution. Electric self-retrieve seems like a "no brainer" for anyone who just doesn't want to put their $100k toy - or their precious butts - at risk in a landout. And, unlike 2-strokes, electric eliminates the fuel smell in the cockpit, oily hands, constant fiddling with the tuning, damaging vibration - and the shattering noise! Love it!<br />Longer-term, I do wonder whether the right answer isn't to put an aft-folding prop on a motor mounted at the junction of the tail, which has built-in ground clearance. Of course, all that weight at an extremity may not be so great for tailboom weight and for handling - so maybe the FES guys are already the future!<br />One thought - does any of the engineers, who have thought about this, know whether electric favors light (13m/ultralight) sailplanes, which require minimal launch energy, or larger (17m/2 seat motorglider) designs where the battery may be a smaller percentage of total weight?<br />- ThomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com