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Siemens Electric Motor Will Power Sun Flyer 2 |
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Mary Grady
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The Sun Flyer 2, an electric two-seat trainer in development by Bye
Aerospace in Denver, will be powered by a Siemens SP70D motor, Bye
announced on Tuesday. "The batteries give us stored energy for over
three hours of flight time plus VFR reserves," CEO George Bye told
AVweb.
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Perception vs. Reality |
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Mary Grady
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When I first started on the
aviation beat, about a hundred years ago, I remember looking at a report
about an airliner that had to turn around and land due to smoke in
the cockpit. I wondered for a minute or two if that was
newsworthy, but a little research quickly schooled me these kind
of emergencies happen every day. That doesnt mean
its not an emergency you wouldnt want to ignore that
smoke but its not news. Working the beat, you soon learn
whats a real emergency as in life-threatening and
whats a routine emergency, in that it must be
immediately dealt with, but chances are good all will be well. This kind
of distinction, though, is not clear to the traveling public.
I always feel a little guilty about that when I encounter news reports
about emergency landings, where in fact there is very little risk of a
bad outcome say, a problem with one engine on a two-engine
airplane thats perfectly capable of single-engine flight, or that
untraceable everyday smoke and the passengers are panicking,
understandably, and calling their loved ones on their cellphones and
composing their final goodbyes on their laptops. |
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