Four LSAs And A DA20-A1 To Compete

The five teams competing in the $300,000 NASA-funded General Aviation Technology Challenge were announced this week by the host flight test agency, the non-profit CAFE Foundation.

The aircraft represent an interesting array; all are aircraft with two seats side-by-side, and four of the five are light sport aircraft (LSA) available for sale in the US. One will even fly on bio-diesel fuel.

The main prize in this year's event is for aircraft with exceptionally low community noise emissions. The flight competition will be staged at the CAFE Flight Test Center at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport beginning on August 5, 2008 and conclude with a cross-country "Green Prize" race on Saturday August 9.

The five teams are:

• "Team Pipistrel" flying a Pipistrel Virus 912, team leader Frank Vance Turner
• "Team Aerochia" flying a modified Diamond DA20-A1, team leader Geoff Stevenson
• "Team Wilkinson Aero Sport" flying a Dynamic WT9, team leader Neil Wilkinson
• "Team Lambada" flying a UFM-13 Lambada, team leader John A. Dunham
• "Team Flight Refine", flying a Flight Design CT, team leader John Robert "Bob" Basham

The competition will use CAFE's flight test equipment to measure aircraft performance, handling, fuel economy and noise. Volunteers from EAA Chapter 124 make the event possible.

A static display of the winning aircraft and their scores will be open and free to the public at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport's CAFE Foundation Flight Test Center on August 10 from 9 AM to 1 PM.

FMI: http://cafefoundation.org/v2/pav_home.php