And Now For Something Completely Different
While Tuesday was the day Sonex
Aircraft unveiled its proof of concept prototype
electrically-powered plane, the company's E-Flight Initiative
involves more than just electric power, focusing on pioneering
alternative energy research and development for sport aircraft.
According to Sonex Aircraft's Mark Schaible, the company's
research and development team began work on its "E-Flight
Initiative" in 2006.
"E-Flight is a push to explore viable alternative energies for
powering sport aircraft and to improve efficiency and performance
of current products and technologies to keep aviation affordable
for the average pilot and to keep recreational aviation available
to future generations of pilots,"
The initiative has three major area of focus, taking a diverse
approach to the problems of rising energy costs and an ailing
environment to provide short-term, intermediate, and long-term
"green" powerplant solutions.
In addition to the electric power endeavor, the initiative is
investigating converting the AeroConversions AeroVee 2.0 powerplant
to use ethanol-based fuels. That will allow the accommodation of
ethanol-blend auto fuel and/or pure ethanol to both increase
performance and efficiency and insure Sonex and AeroConversions
products are prepared for the possible discontinuation of 100LL or
similar aviation fuels.
Sonex Aircraft produces the AeroConversions line of products,
which include the AeroVee engine, AeroCarb, and ancillary aviation
products.
The third area of focus, efficiency enhancement, looks to
increase fuel efficiency and performance for the sport pilot.
With the unveiling of the program at AirVenture, Sonex is hoping
to push the rest of the recreational aviation industry toward
similar goals in the interest of preserving the future of the
sport.
"Our initiative will
broaden and refine our vision of what efficient, low cost sport
aviation will be for the generations to come," said Sonex founder
and President John Monnett.
"It should serve as a beacon to attract serious sponsors for
this important effort."
The company began scientific testing to optimize the
AeroConversions AeroVee 2.0 for the use of ethanol-based fuels,
partnering with Renew Fuel Stations, an Oshkosh-based company.
Higher supplies of ethanol fuel are available in the US by
virtue of the increasing popularity of new "flex fuel" cars and
trucks being produced by American can manufacturers that use
ethanol-blended fuels.