e-flight-Journal_4-2022

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Market Watch turned to Switzerland to reenter airline services, Corona happened. So I decided to use my newly acquired knowledge to implement my love of flying differently: since computers and electric drives fascinate me, it was a clear way to develop an electric aircraft. eFJ: Why start with a racing plane? Marc Umbricht: The UR-1 Devil is a racing plane on one hand because it is a good way to give you experience and on the other hand because almost all racing planes are kit planes. With the experimental approval, you save yourself the very high approval costs for a Part 23 approval at the beginning. You can bring a kit product onto the market and make money relatively quickly. eFJ: Are further aircraft developments planned by PieAeronef? Marc Umbricht: Yes, the UG-2 Bullfinch is already being considered. We’ll get started on it as soon as the UR 1 is on its way. UG-2 Bullfinch will be an unusually shaped middle wing and has a pusher propeller at the tail assembly. It should be able to transport two people in the plane with a maximum take-off weight of 1000 kg over a distance of approx. 500 nauticalmiles (920 km). We want to achieve the performance,but still with a low landing speed, by installing electrically operated propellers in the flaps. eFJ: Will the UG-2 also be a kit plane? Are approvals planned? Marc Umbricht: Yes, the Bullfinch, which is supposed to take off in 2024, will initially be offered as a kit. We are projecting a build time of 1200 hours and a kit price of approximately $250,000. The UR-1 kit will cost around $280,000. As usual for planes in the racing scene, no approval is planned for the UR-1. For the UG-2, however, we are of course planning an approval but later. eFJ: What is included in the kit? Marc Umbricht: All components are already laminated and ready. Also included are all cables, batteries, motors and the complete instrumentation. The customer only needs the tools and the adhesive to assemble the components. Of course there will also be a builder assist program, as is common in the USA. eFJ: Does Pie only build the planes or do you also develop the engines? Marc Umbricht: We also develop the entire drive train ourselves. However, we use cooperation partners and components, so the motor for the UR1 comes from the Slovenian Amrax, but the motor controller and the battery packs were developed by us. eFJ: The batteries are in the wings. How do you solve the problem of cooling all the components? Marc Umbricht: The engine and all other components are liquidcooled. eFJ: At the Electrifly-In in Bern 2022 you presented components of the plane for the first time. When will we see the full UR-1 for the first time and when will it be airborne? Marc Umbricht: We are currently building and testing all components and believe that we will show the complete plane at AERO in April 2023. The maiden flight should then take place by August 2023 at the Payerne airfield. eFJ: Thank you for this interview. 4 The self-developed heat-resistant battery box. The Swiss Minister of Transport, Guy Parmelin, visited PieAeronefs. The CNC laser cutter cuts the ribs(spars) to size. Marc Umbricht in conversation with eflight journal editor Willi Tacke. 30 e Flight Journal 4 / 2022
Market Watch The e-Racer is expected to break world records. The main wing of the UR-1Devil has a continuous spar (strut). The fuselage is attached from above. 12 self-designed battery packs of the 800-volt system find space between the two spars (struts). The motor controller is also ofthe company’s own development. Marc Umbricht in the hall of the former laundry together with eflight-journal editor Willi Tacke. 4 / 2022 e Flight Journal 31
Page 1 and 2: Electric Aviation, VTOLS, Multicopt
Page 3 and 4: editorial e-flight progress - despi
Page 5 and 6: BeL, LuX, doM, port. cont. : 8,70 T
Page 7 and 8: News Archer’s Maker eVTOL succeed
Page 9 and 10: Purely Electriflying E-10 SCYLAX e-
Page 11 and 12: THE LEADING SHOW FOR GENERAL AVIATI
Page 13 and 14: eFlight Forum Autoflight: the forum
Page 15 and 16: eFlight Forum Wisk: the previous fi
Page 17 and 18: eFlight Forum Rolls Royce has alrea
Page 19 and 20: eFlight Forum Theion’s key value
Page 21 and 22: eFlight Forum David Solar, the EASA
Page 23 and 24: eFlight Forum Phillip Scheffel, CEO
Page 25 and 26: eFlight Forum The following present
Page 27 and 28: Many World Directory of Light Aviat
Page 29: Market Watch The UG-2 will be able
Page 33 and 34: e vent Volocopter and Skyports, tog
Page 35 and 36: e vent The scoreboard like the big
Page 37 and 38: e vent Volocopter CCO Christian Bau
Page 39 and 40: e vent Project panel: Bern Korn DLR
Page 41 and 42: e vent The DLR Institute of Flight
Page 43 and 44: Expos / Fairs Top Col. Nathan Dille
Page 45 and 46: Expos / Fairs Tetra is a new eVTOL
Page 47 and 48: Even Birds are Jealous! eVTOL Simul
Page 49 and 50: Expos / Fairs The interface of the
Page 51 and 52: Expos / Fairs A look into the futur
Page 53 and 54: Expos / Fairs with photos and some
Page 55 and 56: Expos / Fairs This year the French
Page 57 and 58: STRONG LIGHTWEIGHT FAST 2-blade Fix
Page 59 and 60: The Future of Aviation April 19- 22
Page 61 and 62: There’s a reason pilots... Instal

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