On May 1, 2, 2015, the world’s leading experts will converge for the 9th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium in the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. The confirmed presenters include:
Airbus on “The e-Fan Design”
Michigan’s Satki3 CEO Ann Marie Sastry on “Solid State Energy Storage”
Italy’s Eric Raymond of GFC I Team-eGenius on “Sunstar and the SunSeeker Duo”
Slovenia’s Tine Tomazic of GFC I Team Pipistrel USA on “Converting GA Aircraft to Electric Propulsion”
UCR’s Zach Favors on “Beach Sand for Long Cycle Life Li-ion Batteries”
Northrop-Grumman’s J. Philip Barnes on “Regenerative Electric Flight”
NASA’s Dr. Eric Darcy on “Battery Safety”
Ford/Ricardo’s Neil Johnson on “Li-ion BMS & Gauging”
Launchpoint’s Michael Ricci on “Propulsion by Wire”
Also expected are Northrop-Grumman’s Barnaby Wainfan on “Low Aspect Ratio Electric Aircraft”, Ray Pekar of Autoliv on “Airbags for Impact, Rafts and EMAS”, Bose Automotive Suspension lead Neal Lackritz on “Active Suspension for Sky Taxis” and Jeff DeGrange of Stratasys on “Breakthroughs in Additive Manufacturing”. The Preliminary Program will soon be posted.
PADA 2014 Awards Dinner
July 4, 2014
PADA is the Personal Aircraft Design Academy, an annual colloquium for leading aircraft designers, enthusiasts and aero engineers. Each year, PADA awards what many now consider to be the highest honor in personal aircraft design, the PADA Trophy. For 2014, PADA will reveal and honor the Trophy's 12th recipient in a special ceremony. The 2014 PADA presentation program will feature two exciting new aircraft: Richard Hogan from Commutercraft will present “The Innovator—a New 3-surface Aircraft” and Oliver Garrow will present the technical details of a new tilt-wing VTOL aircraft—the Elytron.
The 2014 PADA dinner at AirVenture IS BY ONLINE RESERVATION ONLY and will be at 6:15 PM on Friday August 1.The PADA colloquium presentations, which are open to all and do not require attendance at the dinner, will follow at 7:30 PM in the air-conditioned Vette Theatre inside the AirVenture Museum. Several of the renowned previous PADA Trophy recipients are expected to attend PADA 2014. Please pre-register to attend the dinner. Read more about the history of PADA
The 2014 CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium was our best event yet with excellent presentations by all involved and great attendance. Our thanks go out to presenters and attendees alike for a lively discussion of this rapidly expanding domain.
Historic CAFE 400 Video Released
April 15, 2014
In advance of the CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium we are proud to share an historic video from the CAFE Archive. This 47 minute video shows CAFE's first tech prizes – The CAFE 400 races, which were conducted from 1981 to 1990 at the Santa Rosa Air Center.
These 400 mile flight competitions were scored according to the CAFE Formula of Speed x MPG x Payload and attracted most of the famous aircraft designers from the world of EAA. It is amazing to see how many of their innovations were incorporated into GA aircraft of today. Nearly 50 aircraft competed including Roy LoPresti's factory team from Mooney, Burt and Dick Rutan, Mike Melvill, Tom Hamilton, Gene Sheehan and the perennial winner, Gary Hertzler. The event demanded astute navigation and power management in addition to fastidious preparation of engine and airframe. In the 10 years of CAFE 400 racing, there was never an injury or serious accident."
Updated Green Flight Challenge Info on NASA Website
CAFE at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation 2013 Conference
Oct 25, 2013
The CAFE Foundation's Sky Taxi concept continues to grow support after being presented at the National AIAA Conference in Los Angeles. Imagine a new mode of travel that is cheaper and safer than a car and 4X faster, can take you anywhere within a 400 mile radius, is immune to gridlock and DOES NOT NEED ROADS.
8th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium
April 25, 26, 2014 - Call for Papers
Oct 20, 2013
The CAFE Foundation is accepting presentation proposals for the 8th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium, to be held April 25- 26, 2014 in Santa Rosa, California. This international graduate level program will cover a comprehensive range of topics and will emphasize the latest breakthroughs in the rapidly growing domain of electric powered aircraft. Faculty and attendees will include experts from leading aerospace, electronic and energy companies. Topics will include aerodynamics, motors, energy storage, energy harvesting, control systems, recreational aircraft, propulsion, robotics, avionics, airspace integration, manufacturing, business cases and airport land uses.
The 7th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium begins tomorrow. Welcome to all who have come to participate in this gathering of experts. Key enabling technologies will be discussed, including a special slick new aircraft coating, battery management systems, and an ingenious propeller safety device. Several major aerospace companies will be attending as this exciting new domain of aviation takes flight.
Announcing the CAFE Foundation Advisory Board
April 23, 2013
CAFE is proud to announce the formation of the CAFE Advisory Board. This board of esteemed experts will advise CAFE on current and future initiatives. More info soon.
CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium 2013
April 19, 2013
The 7th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium Final Program has just been posted. It has added even more key enabling technologies, including a special slick new aircraft coating, battery management systems, and an ingenious propeller safety device. Several major aerospace companies will be attending as this exciting new domain of aviation takes flight.
The 7th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS VII), April 26, 27 of 2013 is delighted to confirm several outanding presenters. Headlining EAS VII will be NASA Chief Scientist Dennis Bushnell on "Frontiers of Exotic Energetics", Pipistrel's Tine Tomazic on "Hybrid Panthera" and the "Ideal Electric Trainer" and photovoltaic breakthrough developer Dr. Loren Kaake of UC Santa Barbara. Also invited are Eric Raymond's new SunSeeker Duo, battery breakthrough experts Dr. Winfried Wilcke of IBM Labs and Sibani Lisa Biswal of Rice University, along with Adam Bry and his amazing self-flying autonomous aircraft.
Astounding Final Results from the Green Flight Challenge Sponsored by Google
The 2011 Green Flight Challenge sponsored by Google marks an historic achievement in aviation—the first demonstration of practical, cross-country emission-free flight. Team Pipistrel-USA.com’s winning 4 seat, electric-powered aircraft, the Taurus G4, flew nearly 200 miles non-stop while achieving 403.5 passenger MPG! Its astounding efficiency was more than twice that of the piston-powered aircraft in the competition. Equally promising: Team e-Genius won the Lindbergh Prize for Quietest Aircraft, with a peak take off noise of just 59.5 dBA at a 250 foot sideline. This achievement heralds the real transformative potential unique to electric powered aircraft—the capability to be quiet enough to land very near dwellings and businesses.
Years from now, these first Green Flight Challenge team members will be recognized as the pioneers of the Age of Electric Flight. CAFE is already discussing plans for GFC II and will publish more on that here soon.
Thanks to Everyone Who Made the Green Flight Challenge Happen!
The CAFE Foundation wishes to thank all of their sponsors, partners and volunteers for making this historic competition happen. Together we have achieved something great and the future for Green Flight looks bright!
The Google Green Flight Challenge Exposition hosted by NASA
The Google Green Flight Challenge Exposition hosted by NASA on October 3, 2011 saw all of the special aircraft that competed in the challenge on display at Moffett Field. Nearly 20 leading green aviation technology exhibitors showed their products and ideas in the tent tech faire nearby the aircraft ramp.
NASA's Chief Technologist Joe Parrish presided at NASA TV's 30 minute Awards Ceremony inside the NASA Ames Conference Center, where he awarded the NASA prizes of $120,000 for Eric Raymond, leader of the 2nd Place Team e-Genius, and $1,350,000 for Jack W. Langelaan, leader of the 1st Place Team Pipistrel-USA.com. The ceremony included sponsor Google representative Anita Yuen expressing Google's commitment to green technologies and concluded with the unveiling of the beautiful CAFE Green Flight Challenge Trophy designed by Ralph Carlson (pictured).
Jack W. Langelaan, leader of the 1st Place Team Pipistrel-USA.com poses with
the CAFE Green Flight Challenge Trophy
Dedicated to Advances in Personal Aircraft
For almost three decades the aviation enthusiasts at the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation have been carefully measuring personal aircraft performance with innovations in flight testing. Their passion for this stems from the thrill of working with state-of-the-art aircraft and the geniuses who create them.
Out of this passion has emerged a unique and knowledgeable team [ Meet the CAFE Board ] that is honored and thrilled to have been selected by NASA to host their Centennial Challenges for Aeronautics.
Beginning with the CAFE 400 races of the 1980's, CAFE evolved into an independent flight test agency supported by grants from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the FAA . CAFE's work has gone beyond simple measurement of speed and MPG and expanded into innovative research in engines, propulsion and aerodynamics. CAFE research has been published in numerous journals and magazines..
AOPA online has a good article
Electric Aircraft