Electric Islander
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Alaska, PNG, etc.
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No, we're not heading in that direction, nor will we ever be. Any meaningful measure of the cost of electricity will include the cost of the investment in generation equipment and the operation costs. That isn't ever going to be free.
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I doubt that those aircraft spend any significant portion of their flights at a power setting low enough that the air is driving the props. Maybe a few seconds as the airplane is in the landing flare.
Join Date: Feb 2000
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It would be theoretically possible to make the props considerably quieter. Props on direct drive piston engines are noisy in large part because they're frequently operating with the prop tips in the transonic range. With electric motors you could have slower turning props, which would be quieter, much like the prop on a PT-6 powered plane is quieter than a less powerful, direct drive piston powerplant.
There was such an experimental road vehicle some years ago, an electric (normal) bus which towed a trailer with the batteries in it, which was swapped every couple of hours for another when the vehicle passed the charging base. Like most other such initiatives, it seems not to have worked out.
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Regarding this type, this is one of the funniest posts I've read in here: Britten Norman Islander
I'll never forget that flight. It was spectacular.
I wonder if this could be for the isles of Scilly route?
See first post: Orkney islands could get first electric plane service
See first post: Orkney islands could get first electric plane service
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Possibly some energy could be returned to the batteries by windmilling propellors on the descent in the same way electric vehicles can recharge their batteries by using the motor as a brake.
Electric cars can recharge to around 80% very quickly, it's the last few percent which takes time to trickle in.
Electric cars can recharge to around 80% very quickly, it's the last few percent which takes time to trickle in.
A car driver that approaches a red traffic light at 50 mph and then brakes to stop the car is wasting the kinetic energy that is in the car - he should have started coasting early enough to come to a stop right at the traffic light without any braking. Because this method is impractical in normal traffic, hey, an electric car can use the motor as a generator to convert the kinetic energy back to stored electric power in the battery.
An airplane that descends from cruise level to landing does use the coast technique already, the engines are already just idling, it cannot be done more efficiently. If you want to “brake” by using the propellor to drive the e-motor as a generator, your aircraft will have more drag, thus descend more steeply than the idle glide path. You will have to expend (=waste) energy either before starting descent, by staying level longer, or by flying level at the bottom of the descent.
There is no such thing as a free lunch!
There was such an experimental road vehicle some years ago, an electric (normal) bus which towed a trailer with the batteries in it, which was swapped every couple of hours for another when the vehicle passed the charging base. Like most other such initiatives, it seems not to have worked out.
If that's really true, this is going to be close to the peak performance theoretically achievable with lithium ion chemistries. It still won't be as good as petrol in energy per kg or volume, but the nicer characteristics will make them far more useable. No need to swap out the battery, just fill it like you would any other fuel tank.
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Papa Westray is about as far from KOI as St Mary's (see above) is from Land's End, though admittedly there are more dry bits en route for when the batteries fail unexpectedly.
Oil is just there under the ground, it is as "free" as solar or wind. People have managed to take "ownership" of it and charge for it, but that is an artificial concept, Costs for capital plant and operating costs for extracting, processing and distributing to point of use apply to all forms.
They were talking about 5 minutes charge times for cars
Oil is just there under the ground, it is as "free" as solar or wind. People have managed to take "ownership" of it and charge for it, but that is an artificial concept, Costs for capital plant and operating costs for extracting, processing and distributing to point of use apply to all forms.
Best of luck to the Electric Islander PR stunt crew. Remember, anything is possible if you throw enough cash at it......
The propeller tips of an Islander sit only a few inches from the ears of the pilot and front seat passenger, where as most light twins are low wing and the few feet of difference in engine position has a huge effect on interior noise levels.
Can anyone comment on the noise of the turbine version ?
Can anyone comment on the noise of the turbine version ?
I wonder what the flight planning is for fuel Lands End to St Mary's?
We know the weather can be and/or go dodgy at both ends -
If they cannot get in at St Mary's do they plan for returning to Land Ends, plus a hold then diversion fuel to say NQY if Lands End goes out?
Probably would stretch an electric BN islander - but a most interesting concept
We know the weather can be and/or go dodgy at both ends -
If they cannot get in at St Mary's do they plan for returning to Land Ends, plus a hold then diversion fuel to say NQY if Lands End goes out?
Probably would stretch an electric BN islander - but a most interesting concept
In Orkney and Shetland - where this is I think being initially contemplated, the coastlines and waters can be quite treacherous - and routings extremely slow.
I've done Kirkwall to Westray by boat, for example, a commercial service, weaving in and out of tiny little rocky islands - it takes about 90 minutes, and I'm guessing (I'm no sailor) that regularly there are surface conditions that make that very ill advised.
The total distance is about 20nm! So even in an Islander, under 10 minutes - and whilst clearly some conditions, such as heavy fog would be as problematic as for a ship, many other conditions would be fine for the aeroplane but not the boat.
The air ferry around those two groups of islands is most definitely essential to maintaining a decent quality of life for the people who live there.
G
I've done Kirkwall to Westray by boat, for example, a commercial service, weaving in and out of tiny little rocky islands - it takes about 90 minutes, and I'm guessing (I'm no sailor) that regularly there are surface conditions that make that very ill advised.
The total distance is about 20nm! So even in an Islander, under 10 minutes - and whilst clearly some conditions, such as heavy fog would be as problematic as for a ship, many other conditions would be fine for the aeroplane but not the boat.
The air ferry around those two groups of islands is most definitely essential to maintaining a decent quality of life for the people who live there.
G
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One way around that would be a quick-change battery module so that they don't have to be recharged in situ.