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[Richard230]

Looks really nice - and really expensive:   
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/march/14/electric-trainer-meeting-expectations

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The high up-front cost can easily be accommodated by large flying clubs and instruction schools who are eager to reduce the maintenance costs of operating trainers (lots of takeoffs and landings wears on everything).

I think these will sell reasonably well and will help get more people into general aviation.

[DonTom]

Looks really nice - and really expensive:   ;)https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/march/14/electric-trainer-meeting-expectations

I wonder where it will find the charge stations  for the longer flights . .  .

-Don- Auburn, CA

[Alan Stewart]

I wonder where it will find the charge stations  for the longer flights . .  .

-Don- Auburn, CA

It won’t need charging stations. Just climb to max altitude and dive. Regen will recharge it.

[Richard230]

I wonder where it will find the charge stations  for the longer flights . .  .

-Don- Auburn, CA

It won’t need charging stations. Just climb to max altitude and dive. Regen will recharge it.

 

[Curt]

I wonder where it will find the charge stations  for the longer flights . .  .

-Don- Auburn, CA

It won’t need charging stations. Just climb to max altitude and dive. Regen will recharge it.

Yeah, ride thermals up and regen down, come back with extra charge to sell back to the grid!

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I know this is all joking, but honestly a glider that efficiently uses thermals to stay up is extracting energy from the sun, in thermodynamic terms.

Windmilling a propeller would indeed put a tiny amount of charge back into a battery.

But the real answer is that the best use of energy is drag reduction, by a long shot. And, no, I’m not trying to gotcha anyone who’s posted so far. I just know someone will misread this thread and get the wrong idea.

[Richard230]

I know this is all joking, but honestly a glider that efficiently uses thermals to stay up is extracting energy from the sun, in thermodynamic terms.

Windmilling a propeller would indeed put a tiny amount of charge back into a battery.

But the real answer is that the best use of energy is drag reduction, by a long shot. And, no, I’m not trying to gotcha anyone who’s posted so far. I just know someone will misread this thread and get the wrong idea.

I think you will admit that the electric trainer sure looks streamlined. They really did a nice job on the styling, too.  But I doubt it is going to make much of a glider, though.   

[Richard230]

Now here is an ambitious plan for converting 42 six-passenger de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver seaplanes with 750-horsepower MagniX electric motors:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2019/03/26/the-first-electric-passenger-aircraft-could-be-50-year-old-canadian-seaplanes/#1a13da922c3b

[Alan Stewart]

Someone’s already flown around the world on solar power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse

[Richard230]

Someone’s already flown around the world on solar power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse

But not while carrying six passengers, taking off from a lake and hopefully making money doing so. 

[togo]

> Windmilling a propeller would indeed put a tiny amount of charge back into a battery.

This unit should do 600kW:

https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2018/08/27/north-hawaii-news/ride-like-the-wind-makani-energy-kite-test-flights-in-the-works-lift-off-later-this-year/

But it needs to be tethered.