hey William, I agree with you but I also disagree. I agree that putting off building because of something that some BS salesman in a POLO shirt says may happen in the future is indeed stupid. But I also believe that in the future that battery technology will develop to the point that the electric airplane will be practical. And I say that because I dont believe at any point in the past has there been such a push among car companies and eccentric billionaires to get the technology developed. And developed it has, the current state of battery technology today is much further advanced than even 10 years ago. But as of now the electric airplane is a unicorn.
Funny you mentioned the Moller craft. I guess I am not very smart because I was ready to invest. When I called, they wanted One Million Dollars for exclusive access to the Colorado market. Fortunately I did not have the cash!!
I have a small amount of stock in Ballard Power, a hydrogen fuel cell company. It was really hyped years ago as the future of electricity. I had hoped to have a fuel cell at an off grid cabin, it has solar now. Then the salesman who started that company sold out his interest and started a new company to develop a distribution system for hydrogen. I don’t have any of that stock. I am glad I put a Corvair in my plane.
Ten years ago, I was in the design stages of my TwinJAG aircraft. While in Oshkosh, my wife & I were researching a suitable engine choice to use. We looked at certified, Rotax, diesels, turbines…even the rotary (which checked off a lot of the boxes, but fell short due to inherent problems for aviation use). My engine choice also had to have a 1:1 PSRU. Then one morning, we attended a WW forum on Corvairs. Not even 5 minutes into the forum, I looked at Ginger and said…this is it!!! It was simple, powerful, inexpensive, low drag profile, fairly lightweight, very smooth and best of all….I can build it! I need to know EVERYTHING I can about my aircraft and engines. Also, I never met any engine rep that knew even a fraction of what William knew about the Corvair! And better yet…no polo shirt! Actually, on a side note, he was wearing a FlyCorvair t-shirt that had the funniest saying on the back. “My ex wanted me to quit flying”. Although Ginger didn’t find it funny, I loved it. Since then, I am still trying to get one of those shirts.
It turns out that over the last 10 years, I found the Corvair group of builders and suppliers are the nicest group in experimental aviation by far! I have met the best people and made lots of new friends. The Corvair is the real deal and I have absolutely ZERO regrets with my choice! Ginger & I will be bringing the TwinJAG to Oshkosh this year. We will attend one of William’s forums on Corvairs (as we have done for each of the past 10 years). We attend for several reasons…to see the enthusiasm of the potential new builders and to hopefully convert some unicorn chasers. A bonus is that William is a very interesting speaker and I am always learning from him.
The no-tech approach works. Simple as that.
Currently I could electrify my Solitaire with the same system weight (battery,motor,controller) which would yield 30 minutes duration vs. 150 minutes with the current 2 stroke. Both systems are 25hp.
For the Piet, Bolkow and Zenith the Corvair will work to provide flying fun.
Amen
hey William, I agree with you but I also disagree. I agree that putting off building because of something that some BS salesman in a POLO shirt says may happen in the future is indeed stupid. But I also believe that in the future that battery technology will develop to the point that the electric airplane will be practical. And I say that because I dont believe at any point in the past has there been such a push among car companies and eccentric billionaires to get the technology developed. And developed it has, the current state of battery technology today is much further advanced than even 10 years ago. But as of now the electric airplane is a unicorn.
David
Funny you mentioned the Moller craft. I guess I am not very smart because I was ready to invest. When I called, they wanted One Million Dollars for exclusive access to the Colorado market. Fortunately I did not have the cash!!
Never under estimate the power of the Polo shirted BS salesman!!
I have a small amount of stock in Ballard Power, a hydrogen fuel cell company. It was really hyped years ago as the future of electricity. I had hoped to have a fuel cell at an off grid cabin, it has solar now. Then the salesman who started that company sold out his interest and started a new company to develop a distribution system for hydrogen. I don’t have any of that stock. I am glad I put a Corvair in my plane.
Ten years ago, I was in the design stages of my TwinJAG aircraft. While in Oshkosh, my wife & I were researching a suitable engine choice to use. We looked at certified, Rotax, diesels, turbines…even the rotary (which checked off a lot of the boxes, but fell short due to inherent problems for aviation use). My engine choice also had to have a 1:1 PSRU. Then one morning, we attended a WW forum on Corvairs. Not even 5 minutes into the forum, I looked at Ginger and said…this is it!!! It was simple, powerful, inexpensive, low drag profile, fairly lightweight, very smooth and best of all….I can build it! I need to know EVERYTHING I can about my aircraft and engines. Also, I never met any engine rep that knew even a fraction of what William knew about the Corvair! And better yet…no polo shirt! Actually, on a side note, he was wearing a FlyCorvair t-shirt that had the funniest saying on the back. “My ex wanted me to quit flying”. Although Ginger didn’t find it funny, I loved it. Since then, I am still trying to get one of those shirts.
It turns out that over the last 10 years, I found the Corvair group of builders and suppliers are the nicest group in experimental aviation by far! I have met the best people and made lots of new friends. The Corvair is the real deal and I have absolutely ZERO regrets with my choice! Ginger & I will be bringing the TwinJAG to Oshkosh this year. We will attend one of William’s forums on Corvairs (as we have done for each of the past 10 years). We attend for several reasons…to see the enthusiasm of the potential new builders and to hopefully convert some unicorn chasers. A bonus is that William is a very interesting speaker and I am always learning from him.
Jim
The no-tech approach works. Simple as that.
Currently I could electrify my Solitaire with the same system weight (battery,motor,controller) which would yield 30 minutes duration vs. 150 minutes with the current 2 stroke. Both systems are 25hp.
For the Piet, Bolkow and Zenith the Corvair will work to provide flying fun.