The Electric Powered 103 Amps Up The Crowd at Sun & Fun

By Anthony J. Liberatore

Along one of the main thoroughfares in the Paradise City Lightplane area of Sun n Fun sits an Aerosport 103 that is sure to grab your attention via its bright Orange, Blue, and Lime Yellow sailcloth covering, shining in the Florida sun. But, that is not why the display is crammed with onlookers asking questions to Aerolite's Dennis Carley and his team. Instead, it is the 103's electric propulsion system (EPS) that is creating such a spark with the attendees.

While Aerolite has been producing a 2-stroke powered version of their popular 103, this EPS is a 1st for them and according to the sales brochures, it is a purchasable option.

Dennis discussed their journey in the design and development of the EPS along with current operating parameters -- including the big one, the maximum flight time with electric power. The team at Aerolite have been working on the project for over a year and this is the 3rd incarnation of the EPS system. It started with an engineer in California, and evolved by tweaking running parameters (via a laptop), and rewinding the motor.

“This is the 3rd motor and it is performing like we wanted it to perform with the type of flying time we were shooting for,” Dennis said.

In terms of the flight duration Dennis noted; “The 1st question is how long will it fly on a full charge, and the answer to the question really is, tell me how you are going to fly it, and I'll tell you how long it will last.”

Dennis explained; “If you do a moderate climb to 1000 ft and bring it back to an economic cruise setting, with 4 batteries, you will fly for about 45 to 60 minutes. If you have 2 batteries, you fly about half that.”

Consumption will be also disproportionately high for touch and go's with high climb rates that would again cut the maximum time, with the 4 pack, in half. In terms of the EPS's components, the controller, throttle, and batteries are US manufactured, with the motor from an offshore source.

When asked if he had thought about further drag reduction, Dennis said; “Ya we got it about as clean as we can get it, ya you can start fairing vertical one inch tubes and can pick up a ½ percent here and there, but usually It is generally not worth it. But, If you look at the installation of the motor itself, that is much cleaner than anything we have done in the gasoline spectrum. It has enough good airflow over the top of it there, that even when I put it in a full power hard climb, I can't get it to 100 degrees to limit self (engine temp limiter)”

In terms of noise profile Dennis noted; “I guess I can best sum it up by saying it's the 1st time I have flown one of these airplanes in all the years I flown it, I flew this morning with no headset or earplugs and I can still hear you talking!”

In terms of vibration, he said “it’s virtually nonexistent, and basically on an electric motor like that, you basically have unlimited torque.”

Dennis described how the tuning via laptop is light years ahead of carb jet changes, changing props etc. Optimizing via the laptop, followed by some trial and error for increasing or decreasing the prop pitch to achieve the desired thrust and energy consumption numbers is a game changer for powerplant optimization. In terms of the flight schedule of the 103, Dennis said they will fly it a few more times at Sun and Fun.

Stop by their booth at LP-048 to see when the 103-EV will take to the air.

FMI: www.uflyit.com, www.fly103.com