As electric propulsion systems become more accessible, we’re seeing them begin to appear in experimental and ultralight aircraft. In this AVweb video shot at Sun ‘n Fun 2021, Dennis Carley describes the new electric option available for the Aerolite 103 ultralight.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I guess for electric flight you pay more for the hardware upfront, with the expectation to save money on “fuel” for the duration of ownership.

  2. $14K vs. $4K electric vs. regular gas, the difference equals about 4,000 gallons of fuel purchases at $2.50 per gallon plus less noise, probably a third less if you live in CA. That is about 1,000 hours of flying at 4 gal/hr. How about lugging 140 lbs of batteries to and from the airport. If and when battery power packs become lighter less expensive, this might be the way to go….someday.

    • You also need to consider the money saved in maintenance. Electric motors don’t need spark plugs, oil changes, magneto maintenance, or exhaust systems. That’s big bucks over the 2,000 TBO. Which, btw, I don’t know what the TBO (or TBR) for an electric motor is, but I would hazard a good guess that it’s at least double that of an ICE.

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