Re: Kitty Hawk Flyer - Personal electric aircraft by Larry Page Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp Kitty Hawk Corporation has unveiled its first electric personal recreational aircraft. The Larry Page backed company has showcased a 10 propeller, singe seater electric aircraft to limited audience recently. |
Very interesting to see these innovations. Thank you for sharing this. The energy density needed in the fuel for any manned flying object is so high that we will need a quantum break through in battery technology to get to really viable electric flying machines that can do useful work. As a proof of concept this and other experiments are encouraging steps forward. Two aspects which non-aviation may want to know are - (i) a quad rotor or multi-rotor craft is actually the most inefficient way to fly. It is popular with drone makers because of the simplicity of controls, eliminates the complexity of flying surfaces and enables a vertical take-off. That's why we almost never see a chopper with more than two rotors. (ii) In a conventional airplane as you fly longer the aircraft gets lighter due to fuel burn and this helps range and endurance immensely. In a battery powered flying device the deadweight of all the battery has to be carried even as the energy inside it gets lower and lower. This puts a huge limitation on the range and endurance a battery can give. To compete effectively we will need batteries with an energy density greater than aviation fuel today. Quote:
The company claims that the process of learning to fly this aircraft is very easy and prospective owners could be flying within 2 hours of getting familiar with the controls.
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Sounds optimistic. But they seem to have worked hard at avionics that simplify controls and flying. Controlling in 3 dimensions and estimating height above the ground is more difficult than it seems - every other flying pupil will vouch for that :-)
We will see more of these electric powered aircraft for sure. Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat So it is basically a drone, right? | Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat The word "Drone" is mostly used for flying craft that has multiple rotors. We now have unmanned drones and passenger drones. |
Dear smartcat, permit me to jump in. A drone is strictly an unmanned aerial vehicle. They come in many different shapes, propulsion systems and sizes. It is just that over the last 10 years the common notion of a drone is one of those quad-rotor devices so the popular press talks of anything with 3 or more rotors as a drone. A drone could as well be powered by a pusher propeller or a jet engine. All of these are drones.... ![Kitty Hawk Flyer - Personal electric aircraft by Larry Page-drone-1-reaper.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/commercial-vehicles/1771551d1690027127t-kitty-hawk-flyer-personal-electric-aircraft-larry-page-drone-1-reaper.jpg)
Seen on TV often...for remote bombing, wings and pusher propeller ![Kitty Hawk Flyer - Personal electric aircraft by Larry Page-drone-2-qf4.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/commercial-vehicles/1771552d1690027127t-kitty-hawk-flyer-personal-electric-aircraft-larry-page-drone-2-qf4.jpg)
Note no pilot. A regular F-4 Phantom converted to a drone. ![Kitty Hawk Flyer - Personal electric aircraft by Larry Page-drone-3.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/commercial-vehicles/1771553d1690027127t-kitty-hawk-flyer-personal-electric-aircraft-larry-page-drone-3.jpg)
...and this is a drone too!!!
Last edited by V.Narayan : 14th June 2018 at 22:27.
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