Pipistrel USA Takes Top $1.35 Million Award
NASA has awarded the largest prize in aviation history, created
to inspire the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and
spark the start of a new electric airplane industry. The
technologies demonstrated by the CAFE Green Flight Challenge
competitors may end up in general aviation aircraft, spawning new
jobs and new industries for the 21st century.
Pipistrel Tarus File Photo
The first place prize of $1.35 million was awarded to team
Pipistrel-USA.com of State College, PA. The second place prize of
$120,000 went to team eGenius, of Ramona, CA.
Fourteen teams originally registered for the competition. Three
teams successfully met all requirements and competed in the skies
over the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, CA.
The competition was managed by the Comparative Aircraft Flight
Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation under an agreement with NASA and
sponsored by Google.
"NASA congratulates Pipistrel-USA.com for proving that
ultra-efficient aviation is within our grasp," said Joe Parrish,
NASA's acting chief technologist at NASA Headquarters in
Washington. "Today we've shown that electric aircraft have moved
beyond science fiction and are now in the realm of practice."
The winning aircraft had to fly 200 miles in less than two hours
and use less than one gallon of fuel per occupant, or the
equivalent in electricity. The first and second place teams, which
were both electric-powered, achieved twice the fuel efficiency
requirement of the competition, meaning they flew 200 miles using
just over a half-gallon of fuel equivalent per passenger.
"Two years ago the thought of flying 200 miles at 100 mph in an
electric aircraft was pure science fiction," said Jack W.
Langelaan, team leader of Team Pipistrel-USA.com. "Now, we are all
looking forward to the future of electric aviation."
This week's competition marks the culmination of more than two
years of aircraft design, development and testing for the teams. It
represents the dawn of a new era in efficient flight and is the
first time that full-scale electric aircraft have performed in
competition. Collectively, the competing teams invested more than
$4 million in pursuit of the challenge prize purse.
"I'm proud that Pipistrel won, they've been a leader in getting
these things into production, and the team really deserves it, and
worked hard to win this prize," said Eric Raymond, team leader of
eGenius.
NASA uses prize competitions to increase the number and
diversity of the individuals, organizations and teams that are
addressing a particular problem or challenge. Prize competitions
stimulate private sector investment that is many times greater than
the cash value of the prize and further NASA's mission by
attracting interest and attention to a defined technical objective.
This prize competition is part of the NASA Centennial Challenges
program, part of the Space Technology Program, managed by the NASA
Office of the Chief Technologist.