Fri, Aug 08, 2008
Come See 'Priuses Of The Sky' At STS
The five specially-prepared aircraft
competing for the $300,000 NASA General Aviation Technology
Challenge will be displayed to the public on Sunday, August 10,
from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the CAFE Foundation Flight Test Center
at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS).
As ANN reported last month, the aircraft are
competing this week at the CAFE Foundation in the first-ever Green
Prize for transportation, a 400 mile "race." The winner will be the
aircraft with the highest MPG while also achieving a speed above
100 mph.
The race is expected to include an historic first flight of a
specially-modified aircraft that uses bio-diesel fuel. With some
aircraft achieving nearly 50 MPG, some have dubbed this competition
the 'Prius of the Sky' race.
The NASA GAT Challenge Community Noise Prize will award up to
$150,000 for the aircraft achieving the quietest takeoff and
flyover noise. To be eligible for prizes, each aircraft in the GAT
Challenge must also demonstrate their top speed, safety, ease of
use and takeoff abilities.
The five aircraft competing in the challenge include a Pipistrel
Virus 912 (below), a modified Diamond DA20-A1, a Dynamic WT9, a
UFM-13 Lambada, and a Flight Design CT.
Test pilots C.J. Stephens, Will Whiteside and John Fulton will
evaluate the handling qualities, safety, and advanced flight deck
capabilities of each plane.
Sunday’s public display is at 5880 Windsor Road and will
include each aircraft’s team members and a poster showing all
of their scores in the Challenge.
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