At AirVenture!
NASA and the Comparative
Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation announced Thursday the
launch of the first aeronautical competition in the Centennial
Challenges program. The Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) Challenge will
award annual prizes totaling $250,000 to the teams that can best
design, develop, and demonstrate technology improvements in various
general aviation aircraft capabilities.
NASA's Centennial Challenges promote technical innovation
through a novel program of prize competitions. It is designed to
tap the nation's ingenuity to make revolutionary advances to
support NASA goals and the Vision for Space Exploration. PAV is the
fifth NASA Centennial Challenge.
"The intent of the PAV Challenge is to encourage innovation in
the amateur and sporting aviation communities to help enhance the
general aviation transportation system," said NASA's Associate
Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Dr.
J. Victor Lebacqz. "This prize competition is a great follow-on to
previous NASA investments in small aircraft and complements
existing industry consortia in general aviation," he added.
To win one or more of the five PAV Challenge purses, teams must
modify their general aviation or sport aircraft to demonstrate the
best performance in five technology areas. NASA predicts the
technologies targeted by this competition will have a quick and
positive impact on the general aviation industry and on public air
travel. The first competition will be in mid-2006. The purses will
be awarded at EAA AirVenture 2006 in Oshkosh.
"Centennial Challenges is partly modeled on the long and
successful history of cash prizes being used to stimulate advances
in air travel. We intend to continue that tradition," said NASA's
Centennial Challenges program manager Brant Sponberg.
Fifty thousand dollars will be awarded for two technology
developments related to aircraft noise. Twenty-five thousand
dollars will be awarded to the teams that can minimize external
noise measured outside the airplane. Another $25,000 will be
presented to the team that can minimize noise measured inside the
aircraft's cabin.
Another $50,000 will be divided between two teams whose aircraft
demonstrate the best handling qualities and overall ease-of-use.
The remaining $150,000 will be awarded to the single team whose
vehicle demonstrates the best overall flight performance measured
in a calculated score that includes door-to-door trip velocity,
energy consumption, and passenger carrying capability.
"Judging from our past experience in hosting flight
competitions, the PAV Challenge should attract outstanding design
efforts and give a tremendous boost to the technology, safety and
usability of personal aircraft," said CAFE President, Dr. Brien
Seeley. "The PAV Challenge rules that CAFE drafted with NASA's
general aviation experts will make it a fair, safe and accurate
competition and our team is honored to pursue this annual event,"
he added.
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate manages the
Centennial Challenges program. The CAFE Foundation is an
all-volunteer tax-exempt educational corporation. It is dedicated
to conducting and sharing accurate, detailed flight research and
other information about personal experimental aircraft.