FAA to ground 80% of Glider Training Fleet... it's just a question of when

On 4/5/2013 11:43 AM, Papa3 wrote:
It's not engine operation per-se I'm worried about. It's all of the
mechanical and electronic wizardry that has to work to go along with
it. Yeah, it's electic. No fuel system. No mags or plugs. Great.
What happens I have a prop strike or Joe Pilot forgets to swap out
the battery pack (assume that it can be swapped out) or..

If someone wants to design the capability in as an "add on" rather
than as a required element, go for it. Just let me buy it without
that stuff and don't charge me for it if I don't want it. Build me
a robust trainer that can take the real world abuse of your typical
club or FBO.

A lot of engineers love to build something that "pushes the
envelope". I see it at work every single day. Yet we forget about
design for maintainability or design for manufacturing.

No prop strikes - the TFP system is a sustainer, not a self-launcher, on
the two-seater.

The battery would be easily swapped. If the pilot forgets to do it,
there should be no safety problem, only an inconvenience - he'd have to
land after he released from the launch, and return to the field,
something he should always be prepared to do.

The TFP sustainer capability would be an option, not a requirement, and
(I'm guessing) easily added later.

Built with pre-preg carbon fiber, the glider would be robust and still
light weight, much lighter than an ASK 21, making it easier to rig and
handle on the ground (or retrieve from a field, should that happen).

Greg does want to "push the envelope" in terms of utilization and
effectiveness, with a glider that exposes pilots to real soaring and XC
much earlier and more effectively in their training

As an engineer that's been heavily involved in the design and production
of several aircraft, Greg is far more aware of all the issues of
manufacturing them than you and I will ever be. Remember, he is
currently producing the SparrowHawk and the DuckHawk. Read about his
background and the other aircraft he's designed or worked on:

http://perlanproject.org/901-2/

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)