Imagine - Quiet, Green Aviation
The NASA Innovative Partnerships Program and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation have announced the CAFE Green Flight Challenge (CGFC), a flight efficiency competition for aircraft that can average at least 100 mph on a 200-mile flight while achieving greater than 200 passenger miles-per-gallon. The prize for the aircraft with the best performance will be $1.5 million. This is the largest prize ever offered for a general aviation competition. A $150,000 prize for best score by a bio-fueled aircraft is also offered.
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Mark Moore, Brien Seeley and Andy Petro announce the GFC at EAA AirVenture 2009
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The competition is slated for July 2011 at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. A variety of innovative experimental aircraft that fly with either electricity, solar, bio-fuel or hybrid propulsion are expected to enter. Several major universities and EAA aircraft builders have expressed their intention to form teams to compete. The competition is now officially accepting entrants at cafefoundation.org. To enter, please download the complete rules kit.
Several Teams Officially Registered for 2011 Green Flight Challenge
August 9, 2010
The CAFE Green Flight Challenge has completed Design Review and registration for 9 teams to compete in the 2011 flight competition. These teams include one major university and are from states all across the USA. Their sizes vary widely, as can be seen in the table below. As hoped, teams will campaign with a wide range of energy sources; mogas, diesel, bio-diesel, hydrogen and electricity. The qualifications of the team leaders and members are very impressive. Those and other information about the teams will be posted soon.
| |
Team Name |
Leader |
State |
Vehicle |
Seats |
BHP |
Span |
Fuel |
| 1 |
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
Dr.
Richard P. Anderson |
FL |
Eco-Eagle |
2 |
na |
75.5 |
H2 |
| 2 |
Team Feuling GFC |
Gene
Sheehan |
CA |
Q1 |
1 |
32 |
16.7 |
electric |
| 3 |
GreenElis |
Lawrence
Speer |
CA |
GreenElis
PXLD |
2 |
na |
35.5 |
diesel |
| 4 |
Michael
Stude |
Michael
Stude |
KS |
Wings
of Salvation |
1 |
33 |
16.7 |
mogas |
| 5 |
NME Flyers |
Norman Radtke |
AZ |
Green Giant |
2 |
na |
22 |
electric |
| 6 |
PC
Aero |
Einar
Enevoldson |
CA |
Elektra One |
1 |
21 |
27.6 |
electric |
| 7 |
Synergy |
John
W. McGinnis |
MT |
Synergy |
na |
na |
32 |
bio-diesel |
| 8 |
Windward
Performance |
Greg
Cole |
OR |
Windward
Performance |
2 |
na |
51 |
mogas |
| 9 |
na |
na |
CA |
na |
na |
na |
na |
na |
na
= not available at this time.
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Electric Aircraft