BEST TURNAROUND TIME
THE ICARO 2000 ELEKTRO SWIFT is an electric hang glider powered by a 10-k W motor weighing only 3. 7 kilograms ( 8. 2 pounds). It won a special € 10,000
($14,500) prize at the Berblinger Flight Competition at AERO
Friedrichshafen 2011.
Austrian Manfred Ruhmer, a three-time hang gliding
world champion, four-time European champion, and holder
of the absolute distance world record of 440 miles, devel-
oped the electric-powered prototype and has been flying it
since 2008. The Elektro Swift uses the wings
and fuselage of the hang glider by the Belgian
manufacturer Aeriane, fitted with an electric
motor, controller, and battery pack. The first
prototype used a LiFe (A123 cell) battery pack
with 1 k W/h that could be quickly recharged in
only 12 minutes.
AIRCRAFT DATA
AIRCRAFT MAKE & MODEL:
Icaro 2000 Elektro Swift
LENGTH: 11. 15 feet ( 3. 4 meters)
WINGSPAN: 42. 65 feet ( 13 meters)
HEIGHT: 6. 56 feet ( 2 meters)
MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT: 420 pounds
(191 kilograms)
EMPTY WEIGHT: 208 pounds ( 95 kilograms)
SEATS: 1
POWERPLANT MAKE & MODEL: Flytec HPD
10-k W electric motor ( www.Flytec.ch)
WEIGHT: 8. 3 pounds
PRICE: $47,625 (€ 33,200)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.Icaro2000.
com/products/swift/ swift.htm
ELECTRIC COMPETITION AT AIRVENTURE
$60,000 up for grabs
BY STEVE SCHAPIRO
There’s going to be an unfamiliar sound at Oshkosh this summer—the sound of silence, or near silence, as battery-powered aircraft
compete in the Electric Flight Prize contest. Up to 12
aircraft will vie for a total of $60,000 in prize money in
four categories. The categories are endurance, time to
climb, maximum speed, and innovation.
Each category carries a $5,000 prize for first place,
$3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third. The top
three aircraft in each category also will be awarded
points, and the aircraft with the most points will win
an additional $20,000. The contest is sponsored by
AeroLEDs, Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, Dynon Avionics,
and Wicks Aircraft Supply, which have contributed
equally to the prize purse.
The contest begins on Tuesday with the endurance
event in which the aircraft in standard configuration
will be timed how long they can stay aloft flying a
closed racecourse over Wittman Field at a constant
attitude. Competitors are expected to land with a 10
percent battery reserve.
When not in the air, the electric aircraft will be on
display in the EAA Innovation Center supported by GE
Aviation, along with a number of vendors. There will
be forums on batteries, motors, controllers, and other
innovations related to the electric aircraft. The winner
will be announced on Friday, July 29, at the second
World Symposium on Electric Aircraft.
