Looking back to the early days of aviation, motors were big, heavy, and low powered, wings were gigantic, and the airplanes themselves often sported empty weights greater then the typical gross weights found in late 30s and early 40s civilian light aircraft.
Electric aircraft have a similar situation. They require more weight to fly then modern efficient gas airplanes, and this is likely to be true for some time. Yet, electric aircraft designers seem to be married to the idea of futuristic, sleek, high speed aircraft with fairly small wings, or to shoe horning an electric powerplant into a gas powered airplane that it is not at all suited for.
Seems like a new electric airplane with current battery tech, should look more like a Brunner Winkle Brid, or a Bloop Motor Floater then a Pipistrel.
Where are all the big wings?
Electric aircraft have a similar situation. They require more weight to fly then modern efficient gas airplanes, and this is likely to be true for some time. Yet, electric aircraft designers seem to be married to the idea of futuristic, sleek, high speed aircraft with fairly small wings, or to shoe horning an electric powerplant into a gas powered airplane that it is not at all suited for.
Seems like a new electric airplane with current battery tech, should look more like a Brunner Winkle Brid, or a Bloop Motor Floater then a Pipistrel.
Where are all the big wings?
