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Electric
Powered Gyroplane?
Putting an electric DC motor in a gyroplane is really not difficult.
Even with the high cost of a good controller, the fuel savings would
pay for the system. One thing is for sure, great radial engines
and redesigned automobile engines aren't going to disappear because
some gyroplane owners are putting dc motors in their gyros. Electric
motors would not have the range or power of the 'popular three'
for gyroplanes.
However electric motors would fill a nitch in the low cost, low
use market place for gyroplanes, allowing even more enthusiasts
to enter the sport. Once weaned on the electrics, they would move
on to the cross country gyroplanes. |
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This is the way with automobiles
and will carry over to gyroplanes. Not in regards to automotive
power choices, but in more affordable autos to better performance
vehicles.
This is not new technology. Edison had the system working in 1910.
As the automotive world has managed to keep electric vehicles "at
bay" for so many years, not so with gyroplanes as they are in the
homebuilt market and far too low in numbers to matter to big business.
 The
problem with electric powered vehicles is they're just too good.
Maintenance is very low and parts are easy to come by and repairs
are hardly ever needed. The gasoline engine could be described as
the 'helicopter' version of the gyroplane. A helicopter is basically
40,000 parts flying in formation. The gyroplane, with an electric
motor would only be a few hundred parts flying very economically
and quietly. And that's the part I like: quietly.
It might be possible to get away with it, before anyone really took
notice. But there are many businesses that depend on providing all
those parts and lubricants. |
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Gyroplane
SOLAR
PAINTED
AND
ELECTRIC POWERED
IN
FLIGHT
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"We
have the technology". Do we have the will?
Electric powered gyroplanes further simplify the complicated and
expensive helicopter, with the safety of autorotation,
CFI, ADS-B and
Seelevels. Commuting by gyroplane
is ever so near? -jfe |
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Spray-On Solar Paint
has been developed in Canada, at the University of Toronto,
in 2004,
by Prof. Ted Sargent and a student. |
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SOS-P
is a welcome break through in lowering the cost of solar energy.
Spray painted on to a gyroplane skin, it has the potential to recharge
electric engine batteries "in the field".
It works by converting the unseen infrared
spectrum of the sun's energy. This area of energy is thought
to be larger than the energy from the "visible" area of
the spectrum currently being converted by solar panels. (Which only
use 6 percent of the sun's energy striking the earth.)
There are no commercial companies at present working on this system.
However in Nov. 2007, Chemical Engineer, Cyrus Wadia announced from
Berkeley, California that he too was experimenting with the solar
paint discovery.
It's important to note that this discovery be delayed for at least
a decade until the reasearch and development costs for other systems
has been recouped by their developers and investors.
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