Electraflyer ULS battery powered ultralight motor glider by Randall Fishman, Sport Aviation Magazine.

Electraflyer ULS battery powered ultralight motor glider.

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It's funny how you get introduced to some things. Take for instance the Electraflyer. I was attending EAA's Sun N Fun convention about 9 years ago and was over at South Lakeland airport shooting some video of the N3 Pup and the Loehle P51 Mustang when out of the corner my eye I caught a glimpse of a single seat trike coming in for a landing. The unusual thing was that I couldn't hear the engine running, and yet the trike was making a full circuit and the prop was spinning. When the pilot exited the trike I went over and discovered that it was powered by batteries and an electric motor.

Randall Fishman the owner and pilot indicated that he was on a short cross-country flight heading over to the Sun N Fun convention. Since that time I have done a number of interviews with Randall on his electric powered aircraft. To date I believe he has 5 aircraft that he is powered electrically. The 1st was his trike, the 2nd was a little Moni motorglider, he then went to work on a 2 seat electric powered aircraft, then last year I saw him at Sebring Florida with an all composite single boom motorglider, and then this year the Electraflyer ULS.

The Electraflyer ULS for the 1st time that I can remember was located in the light sport aircraft mall. According to Randall he has now put over 27 hours on the Electraflyer ULS. The craft is being offered as a ready to fly part 103 legal ultralight aircraft in the US. As an ultralight vehicle Electraflyer ULS can be factory built, and does not require a pilot's medical or the aircraft to have N numbers.

To look at The Electraflyer ULS would think that it was a powered motorglider or sailplane. It features all composite construction, has a long sleek 37 foot wingspan, flapperons, spoilers, twin tail booms and rudders. Controls are standard stick and rudder style, with the center mode stick, and a steerable nosewheel.

Brakes are activated via a handle on the joystick. The throttle which is a rheostat is located on the top of the joystick. The pilot sits in a reclining position inside an enclosed see-through bubble canopy. Ventilation is provided by an air inlet in the nose of the craft, and an outlet located behind the pilots head.

It is powered by a 26 hp electric motor spinning the prop at approximately 2400 RPM. (If you are into soaring a full and prop is available.) The battery packs are located in the wing root of the left and right wings, with ventilation to keep them cool provided by an air scoop on top of the wing with an exit scoop below the wing. with the full complement of batteries, which weigh about 90 pounds, Randall reports 2 hours of flying time under power. I had the opportunity to watch the Electraflyer fly several times.

It takes off in roughly 200 to 250 feet climb rate appeared to be between 500 and 700 ft./m. according to Randall the airplane cruises along quite comfortably at 40 mph, and really likes to thermal in the 30 to 35 mile-per-hour range, with stall coming in at 25 to 26 mph clean. The glide ratio is 20 to 1, with the sink rate of 250 ft./m. It is interesting to note that unlike a gasoline engine electric powered aircraft do not lose power as they gain altitude. Rather the power output and propeller out put remain constant.

Randall has the aircraft built minus the engine instrumentation, once he has delivery of the plane he then installs instrumentation, batteries and the electric motor. Currently delivery time is approximately 90 days.

For more information on the Electraflyer ULS visit
www.electraflyer.com

Electraflyer ULS battery powered ultralight motor glider by Randall Fishman, Sport Aviation Expos.

Electraflyer ULS battery powered ultralight motor glider.

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