The Electric Aircraft Corporation ElectraFlyer-X is an American kit and light-sport

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, ...

, designed by Randall Fishman and at one time under development by his company

Electric Aircraft Corporation Electric Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer that was founded by Randall Fishman, a retired New Jersey jeweler. The company is based in Cliffside Park, New Jersey and specializes in the design and manufacture of electric a ...

Cliffside Park, New Jersey Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,594,AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ...

in 2009. The aircraft is intended to be supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 45. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 46. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. By February 2017 the design was no longer featured on the company website.

Design and development

The ElectraFlyer-X was designed to comply with the US light-sport aircraft (LSA) rules. The current LSA rules do not allow any powerplants except reciprocating engines for ''Special-LSA''s (S-LSAs), but Fishman hopes that the rules will be amended in time. In the meantime the aircraft can be constructed in the ''Experimental - Amateur Built'' or ''Experimental-LSA'' (E-LSA) categories. The aircraft features a cantilever

low wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

, a two-seats-in-

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

enclosed cockpit under a

bubble canopy A bubble canopy is an aircraft canopy constructed without bracing, for the purpose of providing a wider unobstructed field of view to the pilot, often providing 360° all-round visibility. The designs of bubble canopies can drastically vary; so ...

, fixed

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

and a single electric engine in

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher c ...

. The ElectraFlyer-X is made from composites. Its long span wing features a high aspect ratio for aerodynamic efficiency. The engine is an Electric Aircraft Corporation brushless, liquid-cooled powerplant designed specifically for the aircraft. The engine is driven by air-cooled battery packs that are fitted in

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

boxes and can be installed in either the engine compartment or the cabin. The batteries will permit flights of up to three hours duration. In 2015 the projected price for a kit, less batteries, was to be

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

65,000. The batteries were estimated to add US$15,000 to the cost. In April 2010 the aircraft's first flight was predicted for May or June 2010. Series production was originally intended for 2010 and then delayed to 2011. By June 2012 there was no indication that the design had actually flown or that it would be produced in the near future. In June 2012 the company website listed it only as "coming soon", however the aircraft's description page had been removed. The US

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

indicates that the prototype aircraft, N600EL, was registered on 15 July 2009 and had its registration cancelled on 31 May 2012. Fishman has indicated that the

late 2000s recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...

caused development of company products to be delayed. In 2011 Fishman said, "The recession has made this not a great business right now".

Specifications (ElectraFlyer-X)

References

External links

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Photos of the ElectraFlyer-X under construction in 2009
{{Electric Aircraft Corporation aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Light-sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Electric aircraft X Aircraft first flown in 2009