BMAC615

I’m pretty sure that’s not a limitation of the cells, but, a requirement from the aviation authorities as they go through certification. Pipistrel went through the same process and are slowly working to prove cell lifecycle. The authorities are requiring a lot of testing to prove the technologies. Even at 500 cycles, the battery materials can be recycled and a core charge can be part of the total cost of ownership. Additionally, as production capacity ramps up, costs will likely drop rapidly.

And what is the basis of your opinion that that is the reason for the policy change?

I’m in full alignment and typically roll my eyes when I see announcements like these. However, Oxis has demonstrated and is in final testing of a 471 Wh/kg cell chemistry and is mostly waiting on further approvals to deliver their commercial 450 Wh/kg battery. Further, we don’t know the engineering of the battery storage area of the plane as it may be structural and further reduce weight compared to a traditional airframe with batteries loaded in.

https://insideevs.com/news/502505/oxis-450-whkg-solidstate-cells/

What are you basing your opinions on?

That’s what I took away as well. The only issue is the iFly tunnels are way more than necessary for the bulk of their most profitable customers. They are designed and built for peak performance of vertical body flight, but, that isn’t necessary to let a 10 year old to float around for a couple minutes. That was my original concern for the inclined wind tunnel as well. How many kids and adults can you run through this thing each hour and what are the margins compared to experienced flyers? I’m sure they’ve done the analysis, but, I’m a little skeptical unless the market can bare a premium price. A lot of us will pay whatever they set the price at because the only other option is flying to Sweden.

450 Wh/kg -> 600 Wh/kg by 2026 doesn’t seem too unreasonable.

I’ve heard the same. Metni handing it over a few years ago and all the private equity they took on looked like they were headed in a new direction. Would be interested to know more if anyone can point me in the right direction. I’m surprised the Kissimmee WS tunnel hasn’t been fully funded yet. I imagine experiential tourism is going to do very well once COVID is behind us.

Yep, not sure how I broke the link - thanks for fixin’ it!

Bye Electric eFlyer 800 seeks to end King Air’s Reign

Tell me more about the iFly bankruptcy.

@mccordia I read the FL tunnel is set to break ground this summer, but, I can’t find any other details. Do you have any additional insight on timeline of opening or where I might be able to find that info?

The future of aviation is autonomous. Marc Piette, CEO and founder of Xwing, told us last year. "We believe the path to full autonomy begins with the air cargo market, and involves remote operators supervising fleets of unmanned aircraft." I don’t believe the economics will be there for skydiving operations anytime soon. Pilots looking to build turbine time are willing to work too inexpensively to justify expensive conversions of autonomous software and hardware required for remote flight. Maybe - and this is even a stretch - a multi-plane DZ could possibly fly a fleet remotely with one pilot. However, I’m not confident many DZs will have the capital required to do such a thing. And, if they did, they probably would be better off spending it on something else.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-electric-planes-havent-taken-171500303.html

ROFL

Call PD and ask them. They are going to say no, but, if you ask why, they may give you a hint if it is super dangerous.

@nwt & @Divalent Pipistrel worked on what you are talking about w/ Rotax & Siemens motors.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P840YDo2d6k

And here is Pipistrel’s latest Hydrogen Electric Hybrid Project.

Here it is explained in the Pipistreal Panthera

I’m also not convinced a hybrid is a viable option as you now have two systems and two fuel supplies. The only hybrid option that makes sense is an onboard range extending turbine that charges the battery that runs the electric motor. The nice thing about this is it allows for fewer batteries and a lower cost turbine as you can create significant efficiencies. Wright speed is using this technology in heavy duty terrestrial transportation vehicles. https://www.wrightspeed.com Again, I’m not convinced it’s the best solution, just the best hybrid I’ve seen so far.

The hydrogen revolution in the skies

YouTube video about the Aurora. When I decided to focus on wingsuit skydiving, it became clear that I didn’t want to swap canopies, bag/bridle, and pilot chutes every time I wanted to make a wingsuit jump, so, I decided to buy a container and canopy specifically for wingsuit flying. After lots of research and several discussions with very experienced wingsuit pilots as well as Jeff Johnston at SunPath (he’s the engineer who designed the Aurora along with the Mirage, Vector 3, and others) I decided to order a new Aurora specifically for the fit, deployment and safety advantages. There are some performance advantages, but, those are irrelevant for me. My main concern is safety and risk reduction. I know a regular container is fine and is more fine w/ Dynamic corners, but, I like the longer, slimmer design of the Aurora because it puts the deployment handle lower. Also, the deployment bag design/packing orientation as well as the line stow/placement methodology makes sense that it would offer cleaner deployments in less than ideal situations. This container is staying zipped up with my wingsuit, so, why settle for fine when I could have something really good or even great for wingsuiting? As for aesthetics, it is very different and gets a lot of attention. Everyone who sees it is shocked it holds an Optimum 160 and Epicene Pro 190 as it’s very slender and compact compared to other containers holding these canopy sizes. Overall, I’m thrilled with the Aurora. So far, I have had perfect pulls and on-heading openings every single time. I highly recommend the Aurora for wingsuit pilots of all skill levels.

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS)—the UK SME leading the Project Fressonconsortium—will exploit recent advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology to develop a commercially viable, retrofit powertrain solution for the nine-passenger Britten-Norman Islander aircraft. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/03/20210330-fresson.html

$160 plus shipping. https://www.sskinc.com/maintenance/maintenance-process/

Tonfly TFX, Bonehead Dynamic, Cookie G4 and the latest release is the Parasport ZX. Based on what I know, they all offer good protection and are way better than what was available 10 years ago. Like @wmw999 stated, the one that fits well and gives you full field of vision is the best one for you.