e-flight-Journal01-2017

e Visions
percent and could drop to zero when battery densities improve
and renewable energy is used. Short distance flights
could be done fully electric sooner and reducing the noise
and emissions in metropolitan areas dramatically.
Technically the aircraft would be driven by two ducted fans,
which will be driven by electric motors. As an energy source
there will be batteries (mainly for takeoff) and a gas turbine
that sits in the middle of the V-tail.
For the question of why they use ducted fans, as there is
no successful aircraft in history with this concept and Airbus
just stopped it’s e-Fan project, Mike Friend a retired former
Technical Director of Boeing and now Zunum consultant explains
the reason, “ Zunum believes that ducted fans are the
right answer for several reasons. The first is noise, as use
of small airports close in to cities will require an airplane quiet
enough not to raise objections from those living close to
those airports. The second is the robust low speed static
thrust generated by a ducted fan that will help the Zunum airplanes
use short runways of 2,500 to 3,500 ft. Several years
ago, a study was made with potential passengers with images
of the same aircraft one time with ducted fans one time
with open propellers and asked the question, which aircraft
you find more safe and in which aircraft you would like
to board.? The answer was very clear the large majority preferred
the Fan Type.”
Attractive Operating Costs
The operating costs with Zunum Aero would be at 40 percent
to 80 percent lower than current airplanes operated by
small regional airlines, the company says.
Together with other electric Aviation companies Zunum has
worked with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
since 2014 to create the certification standards for electric
aircraft (now based in the ASTM). The company said it expects
a complete set of standards for electric aircraft by next
year, with the first electrics likely to be certified in 2020 when
Zunum planes go on the market.
Ambitious Plans
Zunum plans to start that process with smaller, 10-passenger
aircraft and then scale up the airframes as technology
improves.
It’ll still be a while until consumers can buy those $100 fares
though. As a venture-backed startup, Zunum undoubtedly
has years of prototyping and developing to endure as well as
lengthy inspection and oversight by the FAA.
There is a good chance that Zunum become Boeing’s horse
in the international race with Airbus Embraer and Co in the
for the world first electric airliner
The time schedule of Zunum is ambitious “The first flight of
the proof of concept for a 10 passenger e-Jet should be done
in only 2 years” says Mike Friend a retired former Director of
new Technologies at Boeing and now Zunum consultant.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, Zunum seems to have
attracted a solid series of investors and is entering the market
at a point when electric vehicles are really gaining traction
and electric aviation gets more new players every day.
One day Zunum may become “The Tesla of Aircraft” like
Forbes magazine said and like Tesla’s stock exchange value
in 2017 exceeded Ford’s; Zunum may some day overtake
Boeing.
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