Electric aircraft to make a strong appearance at AERO

For the third time, the e-flight-expo will present numerous highlights as part of AERO, the Global Show for General Aviation in Friedrichshafen. This year the industry’s leading exhibition will feature more exhibitors and many new aircraft with electric, fuel cell and hybrid power trains, as well as the first ever Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize. A total of 550 exhibitors from 26 countries will be represented across 11 halls at the exhibition on Lake Constance. Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann and AERO project manager Roland Bosch are expecting a “strong showing of exhibitors from the industry’s top companies at the leading exhibition for general aviation in Europe.”

The “e” in e-flight stands for electrical, ecological and evolutionary advances in aviation: the successors to the past century of achievements in the field are now working to inspire the next generation in aviation design. The e flight-expo at AERO will include a high-profile meeting of some of the descendants of important aviation pioneers, which will seek to move the field forward. The highlight of the exhibition will be the awarding of the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize (LEAP), which will be presented by Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of the aviator Charles Lindbergh, who famously crossed the Atlantic. The prize is given for outstanding achievements in the development of electric flight.

Descendants of the pioneers of flight
The winners of this prize for the next generation of innovators will have the opportunity to meet some of the heads of the aviation industry. Lindbergh has lined up an impressive list of supporters for the initiative. The descendants and close relatives of aviation pioneers Claude Dornier, Igor Sikorsky, Marcel Dassault and Count Zeppelin will be on hand to encourage the pioneering spirit among future innovators in aviation at the exhibition, the theme of which will be “History for the Future of Flight.” Bertrand Piccard, who has circled the globe in a balloon and is the grandson of the atmospheric scientist Auguste Piccard, has also announced his attendance, as long as the test flights for his electric flight project Solar Impulse allow.

Prominent supporters
Erik Lindbergh has also been able to mobilize other prominent supporters for the event: no less than Albert II, Prince of Monaco, will help support the initiative with his project for advancing electric mobility, which includes the area of aviation. Along with the theoretical foundations of electric flight, the e-flight-expo will also demonstrate practical applications. The Chinese electric aviation pioneer Yuneec will demonstrate its e430 electric aircraft, which was first shown at AERO in 2010, as well as its smaller electric ultralight model, the E-Spyder.

Motor glider with electric propulsion
Besides these two models, the manufacturer will also show off its latest project, the two-seater E-Viva. The motor glider was developed in collaboration with the company Aircraft Composites before being taken over by Yuneec and fitted with an electric motor. The glider, which has two side-by-side seats and a folding propeller in the aircraft’s nose, is powered by a 40-kilowatt electric motor that runs on batteries.
The company’s ultralight fuel cell-powered trike is also a sensational development: this aircraft doesn’t need a buffer battery, since the electric motor draws energy directly from the fuel cell.

Electric aircraft ready to take off
Other exhibitors will present new concepts for electric aircraft as well as finished models and mockups, including the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel, which will introduce a four-seater hybrid aircraft that uses exclusively electric propulsion for takeoff and landing. The German light aircraft manufacturer Flight Design will also present new developments with its hybrid drive, which consists of a Rotax 914 combustion engine and an electric motor.

Berblinger Flight Competition
A total of 36 teams have announced their participation in the Berblinger Flight Competition, which will be jointly organized by the city of Ulm and Messe Friedrichshafen at AERO. The majority of the contestants come from Germany (23), followed by Slovenia (4), Italy (3) and France (2), as well as Australia, the Czech Republic and Austria (1 each). The technical part of the competition for the Berblinger Prize will be held on April 15, 2011, as part of AERO in Friedrichshafen. The winner will receive €100,000 in prize money. In 2011 the city of Ulm is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger’s attempt at flight. In 1811 the “Tailor of Ulm” attempted to fly over the Danube using a hang glider of his own design. The visionary inventor failed, though not because of shortcomings in his design, but rather due to a lack of knowledge of the thermal air currents over the cold river. For this reason, experts consider Berblinger a pioneer of aviation. In memory of his efforts, the city of Ulm has awarded the Berblinger Prize since 1988, one of the most highly endowed prizes in the field of general aviation.