Engineering:Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer 4
| Sun Flyer 4 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Electric aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Bye Aerospace |
| Status | Under development (2018) |
| Developed from | Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer 2 |
The Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer 4 is an United States electric aircraft under development by Bye Aerospace of Denver, Colorado. The design was announced at the 2017 AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The aircraft will be type certified and supplied complete and ready-to-fly.[1][2]
Design and development
The Sun Flyer 4 was developed from the smaller two-seat Bye Aerospace Sun Flyer 2. It features a cantilever low-wing, a four-seat enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single electric motor in tractor configuration.[1][2][3]
The aircraft is made from composite material, predominantly carbon fiber reinforced polymer. Its 38 ft (11.6 m) span wing has an area of 120 sq ft (11 m2) and mounts flaps. The standard engine used is a 105 kW (141 hp) electric powerplant. The aircraft will have ten batteries giving it a four-hour endurance. The design includes a ballistic parachute and has a 46 in (117 cm) wide cabin.[1][2][3] The launch customer for the design is the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology which also has the Sun Flyer 2 on order for the flight training role.[1][2]
With a payload of 850 lb (390 kg), a cabin width of 46 in (120 cm) and direct operating costs of $19.8 per hour, the 165 kn (306 km/h) all-electric four-seater is pitched for air taxi service around Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Miami. Development should follow completion of the smaller Sun Flyer 2 two-seat trainer, Bye received 220 orders for the two models by October 2018 and a prototype should fly in mid-2019. Bye indicates that conventional aircraft with electric power can be used today, using existing infrastructure for flight training, air taxi service and small package delivery, contrasting with futuristic electrical VTOL aircraft.[4]
Orders
Specifications (Sun Flyer 4)
Data from Manufacturer and AOPA[2][3]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Capacity: three passengers
- Wingspan: 38 ft (12 m)
- Wing area: 120 sq ft (11 m2)
- Aspect ratio: 12:1
- Empty weight: 1,900 lb (862 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,225 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × electric motor , 141 hp (105 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed composite
Performance
- Maximum speed: 130 kn (150 mph, 240 km/h)
- Endurance: 4 hrs
- Maximum glide ratio: 18.7:1
- Rate of climb: 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s)
- Wing loading: 22.5 lb/sq ft (110 kg/m2)
Avionics
- Avidyne IFD550
- iPad holder
See also
- Pipistrel Panthera electric
Related lists
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huber, Mark (26 July 2017). "Electric Sun Flyer Plans Fall First Flight". AIN Online. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2017-07-26/electric-sun-flyer-plans-fall-first-flight. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Cobb, Alyssa J. (24 July 2017). "Four-Seat Sun Flyer in the Works". AOPA. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/july/24/four-seat-sun-flyer-in-the-works. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bye Aerospace (2017). "Specifications". sunflyer.com. http://sunflyer.com/specifications/. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ↑ Mark Huber (October 18, 2018). "Bye Pitches Electric Aircraft for Charter". AIN online. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-10-18/bye-pitches-electric-aircraft-charter.
External links
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