I did some recent testing with the Xenos and here is some data for ya'll. A repost from my facebook post.
Will my electric Sonex Xenos fly 100mph on 24kW/28 Shaft HP? There seems to be some disbelief that the Xenos will do 100mph on as little power as I have claimed (28 shaft HP). If you do the maths, you'll see you need about 24kW electrical power to get 28hp shaft power (figuring 94% eff motor, 94% eff inverter and 98% reduction drive). I stuck a camera on my hat and another inside the cockpit to try and capture all the instrumentation.
At about ~4:20 I set the power to ~24kW (Hat Cam)
https://youtu.be/TI6LqeuuQh4?t=258
In this video it's about 1:20 (Dash Cam)
https://youtu.be/s5ofdc2WeW4?t=87
Also here is a .igc GPS track with speed/alt data. (24 kw tests start at ~18:36 and ~18:40)
https://skylines.aero/flights/136920
In both directions I held ~85kts (97mph) indicated airspeed with a very stable alt (+/- 30ft) for over a minute to show everything in equilibrium.
if you look at the GPS track and correlate to the video data you'll see I was doing about 90kts one way and then 81kts the other. This avg's to ~85kts, and verifies the airspeed calibration.
So I did fall short, by about 3mph of my original claim. However, I've also added about 50lbs of extra battery since my original testing and I think this accounts for the discrepancy. I also took power and airspeed data in 2kW increments down to 10kW, which is the bare minimum to keep it in level flight at ~50kts.
I should also add that my Xenos is not a shining example of a well built Xenos with lots of surface imperfections, and still lacks landing leg fairings, and needs more tuning on the motor ducting. I look forward to seeing what Paul Dye's build will be capable of
If anyone wants to see any more test data, just let me know. I'd love to have more excuses to go fly
Performance data and charts:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u5n8cxNd_NNXgV4nokdOvAMBOU-J4rgr1byQZiFSfKA/edit?usp=sharing
Will my electric Sonex Xenos fly 100mph on 24kW/28 Shaft HP? There seems to be some disbelief that the Xenos will do 100mph on as little power as I have claimed (28 shaft HP). If you do the maths, you'll see you need about 24kW electrical power to get 28hp shaft power (figuring 94% eff motor, 94% eff inverter and 98% reduction drive). I stuck a camera on my hat and another inside the cockpit to try and capture all the instrumentation.
At about ~4:20 I set the power to ~24kW (Hat Cam)
https://youtu.be/TI6LqeuuQh4?t=258
In this video it's about 1:20 (Dash Cam)
https://youtu.be/s5ofdc2WeW4?t=87
Also here is a .igc GPS track with speed/alt data. (24 kw tests start at ~18:36 and ~18:40)
https://skylines.aero/flights/136920
In both directions I held ~85kts (97mph) indicated airspeed with a very stable alt (+/- 30ft) for over a minute to show everything in equilibrium.
if you look at the GPS track and correlate to the video data you'll see I was doing about 90kts one way and then 81kts the other. This avg's to ~85kts, and verifies the airspeed calibration.
So I did fall short, by about 3mph of my original claim. However, I've also added about 50lbs of extra battery since my original testing and I think this accounts for the discrepancy. I also took power and airspeed data in 2kW increments down to 10kW, which is the bare minimum to keep it in level flight at ~50kts.
I should also add that my Xenos is not a shining example of a well built Xenos with lots of surface imperfections, and still lacks landing leg fairings, and needs more tuning on the motor ducting. I look forward to seeing what Paul Dye's build will be capable of
If anyone wants to see any more test data, just let me know. I'd love to have more excuses to go fly
Performance data and charts:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u5n8cxNd_NNXgV4nokdOvAMBOU-J4rgr1byQZiFSfKA/edit?usp=sharing
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