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  1. F

    Who Certifies Avionics

    Some incomplete answers here, to an incomplete question. Basically, anything that transmits needs to have FCC (or your government's equivalent) certification, called "equipment authorization" (formerly known as type approval or acceptance). Depending on the type, it can be manufacturer...
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    Lilium - Point to point small air transport reinvigorated?

    At the moment, the bar is set at being able to charge in somewhat less than half the driving time. It will get better, due to incorporating active cooling into the charging station.
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    Lilium - Point to point small air transport reinvigorated?

    About the lack of more clever designs than we have seen so far... don't assume that what you see publicly is all there is. Many big and small companies are working on interesting stuff in private. It's a massive systems engineering puzzle that basically allows you to invent Aviation Rev 2.0 if...
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    Rudder Cables, Fairleads, Pulleys, Nylaflow Tubing?

    Polyoxymethylene, commonly known in the US as acetal, polyacetal or Delrin. Definitely one of the more useful aircraft plastics.
  5. F

    Lilium - Point to point small air transport reinvigorated?

    Yes, Volocopter did the same thing, but also flew with Alexander Zosel aboard instead of ballast. Does that change anything? All of these aircraft are entirely processor controlled, it doesn't matter where the "pilot" is. We are moving from state-driven control of aircraft to trajectory-driven...
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    Lilium - Point to point small air transport reinvigorated?

    The Lilium flight video is real. There is not a pilot onboard, just lots of batteries, and it is flown remotely. Lilium was at the Uber Elevate Summit and recruting people to work for them. They have a serious group of aero and propulsion engineers already. Aurora was at the event too but it's...
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    FAA on ADSB and engine-driven electrical systems

    People should be wary of what they are told is "the law" about ADS-B. It's a moving target. There are portable ADS-B transceivers for under $1,500 whose manufacturers assert compliance, see skyvisionxtreme.com and skyguardtwx.com The early skyguard units are available used for under $500 as...
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    A realistic alternative to Icon

    (duplicate deleted)
  9. F

    A realistic alternative to Icon

    Government agencies are allowed to fly "public aircraft" which, if their lawyers and insurance people agree, exempts them from vehicle and pilot certification. https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_00-1_1A.pdf Some US three-letter agencies fly aircraft initially...
  10. F

    HF antenna design

    Please do not attempt to use any of the approaches suggested so far for an hf antenna on a composite aircraft. For those who would model, note that you will be dealing with a very short antenna for operation in 4 to 9 MHz generally, fed from an automatic antenna tuner. Frequency agility is a...
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    What's the easiest plans/kits built sheet metal plane for the massively inexperienced

    Re: What's the easiest plans/kits built sheet metal plane for the massively inexperie Nothing wrong with a 601HD except that it's slow, both to build and to fly. You are talking 90 mph vs 115, and 2000 hrs vs 1000 to build. What is that worth to you? There haven't been any wing failures with...
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    Electric powered flight

    There is absolutely no reason to build a conventional aircraft that just has an electric motor. Robinson and Schweizer helicopters, Cessnas and Sonexes, etc., etc. have been built with electric motors, but why? You stack up the bad features of each. Electric motors are lighter and far more...
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    Ideal CNC

    Um, a CNC what? I have a CNC mill with 12 x 50 inch travels, but I suppose you mean a CNC router. Or a waterjet? My guitar-building friends get CNC routers to fit the biggest sheet of material they can handle.
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    Cheapest microlight with v STOL capability

    701
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    What does it take for an engine to be man-rated?

    That's actually made in Arizona, www.desertengines.com They are being used in drones, a friend who is making a series hybrid multicopter is planning to use them.
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    Torsional Dampening

    See the drawings at docusearch.flyrotax.com/files/pdf/d03185.pdf They refer to it as a "torsional load absorber" incorporating a "dog hub" with "helical dogs." It's on every 912 and breaks free between 600 and 800 N-m. Many 912s also have a "slipper clutch" which is a friction disk pack that...
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    Torsional Dampening

    I wonder why no one has proposed making a dog clutch damper as found on Rotax gearboxes. For those not familiar, this is not the multiplate "slipper clutch" intended to protect the crank in case of a prop strike and/or lessen starting kickback. Every 912 has a two piece dog clutch tensioned by a...
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    Exploring a Faster High wing Light Sport legal homebuilt

    You could start with Zenith CH750 plans, build light, without the slats. If you wanted less wing area, just don't build them so long. There is a lot of extra weight in the Cruzer to support the higher Vne, you don't need that. Or start with a 701, without the slats, if you wanted it even...
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    Uber announcement, white paper

    Helicopters can be made quiet with slow rotors, but then they can't fly very fast, see retreating blade stall. Not many people want a 60 kt helicopter. And, they really want to get rid of mechanical complexity and replace it with electronic complexity, which can be exactly replicated much more...
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    Uber announcement, white paper

    I suppose it is hangar talk, because only a couple of these things have actually flown. But this next year will be very interesting, I think. The AIAA meeting in Denver has 3 days of sessions on electric airplanes. The paper actually has a few provocative statements; Mark Moore from NASA is...
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