The Electric Aircraft Corporation ElectraFlyer-C is an American
experimental electric aircraft
An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity.
Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights.
Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...
that was designed by Randall Fishman and produced by his company
Electric Aircraft Corporation in 2008. The aircraft is a converted
Monnett Moni __NOTOC__
The Monnett Moni is a sport aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1980s and marketed for homebuilding.
Designed by John Monnett, who coined the term "air recreation vehicle" to describe it, it is a single-seat motorglid ...
motor glider intended to test electric propulsion technology for the future
Electric Aircraft Corporation ElectraFlyer-X
The Electric Aircraft Corporation ElectraFlyer-X is an American kit and light-sport electric aircraft, designed by Randall Fishman and at one time under development by his company Electric Aircraft Corporation of Cliffside Park, New Jersey. T ...
.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 45. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 46. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
The design was only intended as a
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
and
proof of concept aircraft.
Design and development
The aircraft features a cantilever
low-wing, a single-seat enclosed cockpit with a bubble canopy, fixed
conventional landing gear and a single electric motor in
tractor configuration. The sole example built is registered in the US
Experimental - Amateur-built category.
Constructed from a Monnett Moni
motorglider with
taildragger
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
landing gear, the original fuselage and wing were retained, but the tail section and
tailwheel were extended to improve control on the ground, and to elevate the fuselage.
[Laboda, Amy]
"ElectraFlyer-C Concept Airplane Flying,"
August 1, 2008, '' Kitplanes'' retrieved August 22, 2020
The aircraft is made from sheet
aluminum. Its span wing has an area of .
The motor is an 18-horsepower ElectraFlyer direct-drive propulsion kit
DC electric motor, powered by a pair of custom-made 5.6 kwh
lithium-ion polymer battery packs, weighing 75 pounds (34 kilograms). The batteries are mounted in custom-made, ceramic-stainless steel firewall boxes, sized to fit the space available in the
fuselage.
The motor returns an 88% efficiency (90% at cruise
), with the motor controller consuming 2% of the power. The batteries fitted give an endurance of 1.5 hours and take six hours to recharge at a cost of 70 cents for the power consumed. While descending the propeller generates power to recharge the batteries. The ElectraFlyer-C received its airworthiness certificate on 11 April 2008.
Fishman indicated that he would sell the aircraft in April 2009, but as of February 2017 it remains owned by his company.
Specifications (ElectraFlyer-C)
References
External links
*
{{Electric Aircraft Corporation aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
United States experimental aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Electric aircraft
C