In my (extremely biased) opinion, an electric motor is the future, but definitely not a sustainable idea right now. I toyed with the idea for a while, but I think it can't be done satisfactorily. Endurance is way too marginal, and charging the battery is sure to be a long wait. The only application where it can work right now is self-launching gliders. For more power-hungry planes, we probably have to wait for a decade for the automotive industry to provide light and affordable battery technology first. In the meantime, the best affordable eco-friendly technology around is Diesel (lower fuel burn, and possibility to burn anything from Jet-fuel to bio-Diesel to spent cooking oil...). My next project will be just that: a two-seater of approximately the same MTOW as the KR2, powered by a tiny and light automotive Diesel engine (1.4 liter, 53 hp). Engines like that are a dime a dozen in Europe, where most cars are small, and two-thirds of them are Diesel. The challenge to select the engine was to find one with an all-aluminum block, and low technology (Europe having high anti-pollution standards and high fuel-economy expectations, so European engines are crammed with electronics, and it's not always easy to tamper with it). The engine used in that project is substantially heavier than a petrol engine, but that is entirely offset by the lower fuel burn (5 to 6 liters per hour, which is about 1.3 to 1.6 gallons per hour). The airframe is substantially more performing, aerodynamically speaking, which helps too. By the way, I'm not talking about a pipe dream, but a proven solution. The plane exists, the prototype has flown hundreds of hours, and has had three predecessors, all successful. Over 200 plans sold over 3 years, which is a huge success by European standards.
Serge Vidal Melbourne, Australia No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.8.3/1747 - Release Date: 26/10/2008 09:27
