How Beat The High Cost Of Fuel: The ElectraFlyer-C

wrote:
Frank Olson wrote:

Look at their website... http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html.
Heck... even their most expensive battery pack is "peanuts" compared to
the price you're going to pay for fuel for five years...

I did.

For $4400 to $8500 you get a battery pack for a single place ultralight
you will have to replace every 5 years or so whether you fly or not.

It's called "operational expenses". :-)



What's your fuel consumption now?? It's not going to change over five
years (unless you upgrade to a bigger plane)... What *is* going to
change is the cost per gallon.

Except my airplane if 4 place, not 1, and I can fly it into any
airport, which you can't do with an ultralight, so the comparison
is apples and lug wrenches.

Ya gots me there.



Everyone that owns an aircraft knows how to budget. "Lump sum" payments
like propeller overhauls, engine overhauls... I set aside the dollars
for all these items for every hour I put on the Hobbs... Don't you??
Mind you I fly a medium twin (Piper Aerostar) and I don't like "lump
sum" payments anymore than you do.

Then you should have no problem with $4400 to $8500 every five years
for a 1 place ultralight.

I'm waiting for the twin version. :-)




What loan?? You buy the batteries with the aircraft. You budget for
replacement five years down the road (and add about 10 - 20 percent for
"contingencies")

The original thread was about FBO's having spare battery packs to keep
the airplanes flying between student/renters.

Hmmmm... I must be blind. I can't seem to find that reference in the OP.



Please learn to read.

Check...



It isn't when you factor in a contingency for something like a rock or
bird strike...

Not much chance of a rock of bird strike with a 1 place ultralight;
the prop is high and the birds are faster.

Good points. Although I've witnessed a couple of bird strikes...



Heh... Not on any of the conventional aircraft I've flown. I split my
time between a Cessna 185 on amphib floats and a Piper Aerostar.

That just means you don't have much experience.

???



And I would hardly call a 1 place ultralight a conventional aircraft.

Hmmm... wings, undercarriage, tail, cockpit... Looks a lot like a
"conventional aircraft" to me...



Correct... There hasn't been a "TBO" set yet... So let's factor in
that cost as well... An electric motor is a pretty simple device
compared to even a normally aspirated IO-540...

True, but totally irrelevant.

To what??



I try to keep things simple. We were comparing the cost of fuel. I
threw in the other stuff to make a point. The cost your FBO is going to
charge on maintaining an electric motor over a reciprocating engine is
going to be "peanuts".

I'm sure the local FBO's are going to be standing in line to buy 1 place
ultralights.

You're not looking at the "big picture". This aircraft represents the
future of general aviation. We don't have a limitless supply of oil,
and we have to do something to reduce our carbon emissions.



Swapping the battery pack looks like something even my grand daughter
will be able to do... in a few years. :-)

Totally irrelevant to the cost of keeping the spares on hand.

"Spares" which you could swap between aircraft on the same flight line.



Nope. It's "one" battery pack...

Not if you have to have spares on hand so the next renter can fly the
airplane without having to wait for the batteries to charge.

It looks to me like the "cost" of the aircraft may very well prove to be
in reach of the "average Joe". Who needs to "rent" when you can "own".



Huh?? You use a trickle charge to maintain the charge on the battery
(between uses), not to say... go cross country with the aircraft.

Huh my ass.

Sorry... I don't swing that way.



The original thread was that FBO's would keep precharged battery packs
on hand so the next customer can fly the plane without waiting hours
for the pack to recharge.

The original post said nothing of the sort. The thread "digressed"
(much like this series of responses).



But that is rather moot as there are few FBO'x that are going to be
able to rent 1 place ultralights and zero that will be able to
provide training in them.

Check.



And all the little birdies sing "cheap, cheap, cheap!" :-)

If you are seeing little birdies, I would suggest seeing a doctor.

I see birdies everywhere. And my vision is just fine.



Spending $4400 to $8500 every five years on batteries to fly a 1 place
ultralight is not what I would call cheap.

No... but with advances in technology, the four place electric plane is
just around the corner. And who knows?? It could even be solar
powered... :-)



Most 1 place ultralights burn less in gas in terms of dollars in a year
than I spend on french fries.

I suppose... And a lot of them even use two stroke weed whacker
engines... Yech!!!