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.

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