A team of undergraduates studying aerospace engineering and other courses will take advantage of new laws permitting more experimental aircraft to take the skies to trial the green approach to aviation. UWE Bristol is the first university in the country attempting to build and fly such a concept aircraft under the new regulations - called ‘E conditions’ - introduced in November 2014.
The plane will initially fly on battery power but there are plans to further develop the manned glider so that it can generate its own energy through solar panels mounted on the wings. Project leader Kim-Tobias Kohn and 20 students and will work on the assignment ahead of a demonstration flight at Aston Down airfield in the Cotswolds in 2017.
Kim, an associate lecturer in aerospace engineering, said it was important more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel-powered aircraft were pursued.
“Every second, 11 tonnes of fuel are burned in aviation and the carbon emissions go where it is most harmful – near the ozone layer” said Kim. “So this is about the sustainability of the planet. The technology is now there to start looking at green aviation. You need to start small but you have to show it is actually possible. It is the right time to showcase this technology.”
Kim hopes the project can replicate the success of Formula Student, an annual student engineering competition which sees undergraduates design, build, test, and race small-scale formula-style racing cars. But he added that the project would need financial support from industry sponsors to get it off the ground.
The team has purchased a single-seater airframe with a 15 metre wingspan and weighing 225 kilograms. This is currently being housed at the university’s Frenchay campus. Students will shortly attempt to install a lightweight electric motor into the nose and lithium-based battery in the body. They will also contribute towards the drafting of a pilot’s operating handbook.
A single-seater airframe, which has a 15m wingspan and weighs 225kg, has been purchased for the project and is being housed at the university’s Frenchay campus. Students will attempt to install a lightweight electric motor into the nose and lithium-based battery in the body. They will also contribute towards the drafting of a pilot’s operating handbook.
Kim, who is producing a series of a video blogs to chart the progress of the project, added that the aim of the project is to get students out of the teaching room and into the practical arena, applying their knowledge and skills to the real world. The project will encourage students to “think out of the box, get away from the theory and experience what it’s like to work on an aircraft.” It will provide a research platform for zero emission transport and offers a new area of student engagement and student project possibilities.
The team would like the aircraft to be solar powered, which would enable a flight time of six to seven hours. However, this would currently cost £300,000. E-Conditions, introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), allow small-scale research projects involving modified aircraft to take place. As part of the project, the UWE team plans to work closely with the CAA and Royal Aeronautical Society to pilot the process of setting up regulations for all new electric aircraft in the UK.
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