Organizers Hope To Reveal Technologies That Will Launch "A New Age Of Flight"

On April 29-30, 2011, representatives from NASA, industry and academia will present the technologies necessary to inaugurate the Age of Electric Flight. The 5th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS V) will reveal how safe, emission-free, 2-4 seat electric aircraft could soon make a doorstep to doorstep round trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a single battery charge at nearly twice the overall trip speed of airline travel. The latest breakthroughs in energy storage, motors, quiet propulsion, powered lift, electronic pilot assistance, autonomous flight and aerodynamics will be presented along with proposals for how they can transform transportation.

EAS V will again network its faculty with the attendees, including venture capitalists, leaders of the aircraft industry, government researchers and aviation enthusiasts in the highly successful evening Theme Dinners during the symposium. As a special event, EAS V will debut the awesome array of experimental new electric aircraft that will compete 9 weeks later in the 2011 NASA Aeronautics Prize, the CAFE Green Flight Challenge (July 10-17 at Santa Rosa Airport). Keynote presentations on Energetics by NASA's Chief Scientist, Dr. Dennis Bushnell and on the latest in Climate Change by Lawrence Livermore Lab's leading climate scientist, Dr. Ben Santer headline the meeting. Expert panelists will lead forums on the topics of Goldschmied Propulsion, ESTOL, Ultra-Quiet Props and NextGen Flight Deck Design.

EAS V is planned as a follow-on to NASA's Aviation Unleashed Conference held last year. Of particular note in the predictions published from that conference was that, "Aviation will be key to globalization and societal integration and understanding. Significant increases in autonomy will enable new vehicles and missions, and passenger-carrying unpiloted vehicles will be accepted  . . .  Intra-city transportation to avoid ground congestion will become possible. Enablers to these roles include autonomy and energetics; electric or other propulsion for some aircraft."

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