GPS News  
ENERGY TECH
Cri-Cri, The All-Electric Aircraft, Is Airborne

Source / copyright : European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS.
by Staff Writers
Le Bourget, France (SPX) Sep 07, 2010
The all electric Cri-Cri, jointly developed by EADS Innovation Works, Aero Composites Saintonge and the Green Cri-Cri Association has made its official maiden flight at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Thursday. This Cri-Cri is the first-ever four-engined all-electric aerobatic plane. The event has been supported by the French Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace.

The plane became airborne at 11:12 CET. Take-off and climb were smooth, no vibrations could be felt and manoeuvrability was excellent. All systems performed well and the plane returned safely after 7 minutes.

"This aircraft flies very smoothly, much more quietly than a plane with conventional propulsion", said Didier Esteyne, who piloted the all-electric Cri-Cri.

"But we are still at the beginning and have a lot to learn. We are allowed to start aerobatic manoeuvres only after five hours of flight and 15 landings."

"The Cri-Cri is a low-cost test bed for system integration of electrical technologies in support of projects like our hybrid propulsion concept for helicopters," stated Jean Botti, EADS's Chief Technical Officer.

"We hope to get a lot of useful information out of this project." In the near future batteries will not able to propel larger aircraft.

The aerobatic plane incorporates numerous innovative technologies such as lightweight composite structures that reduce the weight of the airframe and compensate for the additional weight of the batteries, four brushless electric motors with counter-rotating propellers which deliver propulsion without CO2 emissions and significantly lower noise compared to thermal propulsion, and high energy-density Lithium batteries.

The combined utilisation of these environment-friendly technical innovations enables the Cri-Cri to deliver novel performance values: 30 minutes of autonomous cruise flight at 110 km/h, 15 minutes of autonomous aerobatics at speeds reaching up to 250 km/h, and a climb rate of approximately 5.3 m/sec.

With research projects on algae based biofuel, a helicopter hybrid propulsion system combining electrical power with piston engines and the all electric Cri-Cri, EADS is exploring technologies for environmentally friendly air travel.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


ENERGY TECH
Turkey To Connect With European Grid
Atlanta GA (SPX) Sep 06, 2010
Turkey will connect to the European electrical grid this September using GE's smart grid technology. The connection will allow for expanded energy and economic opportunities. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) will now be able to buy and sell power in the European electricity market and the connection will strengthen the reliability and availability of energy throughout all of ... read more







ENERGY TECH
Erratic global weather threatens food security: experts

Walker's World: The food crisis

NGOs call for Romanian minister to be sacked for GM links

Medvedev hints at end to Russia grain export ban

ENERGY TECH
Chip revenue expected to grow 31.5 percent in 2010: Gartner

Computer data stored with 'spintronics'

Protein From Poplar Trees Can Be Used To Greatly Increase Computer Capacity

Polymer Synthesis Could Aid Future Electronics

ENERGY TECH
Solar plane to plans first flights across Switzerland

Probe launched after China pilots falsified records: govt

U.S. considering new trainer jets

Swiss jet tender delayed

ENERGY TECH
Audi posts sales records in China, US

China to have 200 million vehicles by 2020: state media

Booming China auto industry facing over-capacity: government

Electric Cars Greener Than Expected

ENERGY TECH
Argentina accused of blocking Uruguay port

First Chinese firm to list in Taiwan soars on debut

Bangladesh exports soar as orders shift from China: industry

China stresses importance of good ties with United States

ENERGY TECH
Drought, wildfires put Brazil under environmental emergency

Pa. kayaker finds ancient tree fossil

Farmland comes at expense of forests

Climate affecting Alaskan spruce forests

ENERGY TECH
NASA Satellite Data Aids Ability To Detect Global Fire Hotspots

Earth From Space: Giant Iceberg Enters Nares Strait

Critical Polar Data Flows Briskly To Researchers

Water Mission Reveals Insight Into Amazon Plume

ENERGY TECH
Australia to address price on carbon

EU calls for overhaul of UN carbon credit system

Carbon capture needs a price -- study

Despite efforts, France fails to curb CO2


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement