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e Innovation
The Flyer is a Part 103 Ultralight
Just as at the beginning of the eighties of the last century, when
inventors and backyard mechanics for the then-new deregulated
class invented brand new aircraft for production and sales,
the high-tech nerds from the Silicon Valley also want to build
flying machines under the ultralight category carved out by the
American aviation authority, the Federal Aviation Administration.
Part 103 of the FAA regulations state that airplanes with an empty
weight of less than 254 pounds (115 Kg) are permitted to
be built to fly without airworthiness certificates. And even better:
for ultralights, those flying them do not need pilot licenses
or airports.
Part 103 also limits ultralights to a fuel capacity maximum of
five gallons (approximately 19 liters), a minimum speed of 24
knots (44 km/h) and a maximum speed of 55 knots (102 km/h)
observed.
These hurdles are also likely to be overcome. Part 103 states
that the empty weight of 254 pounds does not include a weight
allowance for aircraft floats. This means that the Kitty Hawkers
can pull the weight of their floats from the empty weight. This
is necessary because, as Rodd Reichert admitted in Oshkosh,
currently the machine is still clearly above the weight limit; but
that could be overcome.
Why Kitty Hawk
The reason why Larry Page’s air motorcycle is called the Kitty
Hawk Flyer is simple: on the dunes of Kitty Hawk in North
Carolina, the Wright brothers and their Wright Flyers first took
off; the Wright brothers themselves called their plane “The
Whopper Flying Machine.” The Kitty Hawk wants to lean on this
historic vehicle, and hopes that they can revolutionize transport
as well as did the Brothers Wright. An interesting further parallel
between the design teams: the Wright Brothers produced and
repaired bicycles, Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert, the
technical directors of Kitty Hawk, earned their first spurs in aviation
with the Canadian company Aerovelo. The spin-off of the
University of Toronto built the bike-helicopter Atlas a few years
ago, a helicopter operated by muscular force which won the
Sikorsky Prize. The helicopter flew - driven only by the muscle
power of the pilot - 3.30 meters high and remained in the air for
64 seconds. They also won a prize for the fastest bike.
Conclusion
Did I see the future of ultralight flying or even general aviation
at the Seaplane Base in Oshkosh? Yes and no. Yes, because I
believe that the future of drive technology will soon be mainly
electric in aviation, and yes, many of the test vehicles will also
be flying as ultralights in the next few years. That is because it
is simply the least regulated class of aircraft and it allows designs
to be tested the fastest and with the fewest bureaucratic
barriers.
No, because people want to fly higher than five meters and not
just over water. Although the machine can technically fly over
land, it lacks the redundancy needed to make overland flight
safe.
No, because if you want to fly to get somewhere, the lift is simply
too ineffective. We will still need wings for a long time. This
is especially the case while we wait for advances in the low energy
density of the batteries used to power aircraft.
The Kitty Hawk Flyer is as much the future of air transport as
the jet ski was the future of boating. But like jet skis, it is certainly
going to be a lot of fun and will find its place in the market.
Two men could load the ultralight aircraft, which has a target
empty weight of 254 pounds.
20 e Flight Journal 2 / 2017