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Page 4 of 4 |
Photos courtesy of Jon Baker, Paul Naton, and Bernie Wolfard.
 One highlight was Daniel Schübeler's Vector-II electric ducted fan jet. Daniel shipped in the model from Germany, then he and his fiance/co-pilot Ivonne Ridder flew in for a 1-week visit. This jet is powered by an 8S8P Lithium-Polymer pack; that's 64 cells! With this pack and a big brushless motor, the 3.54-inch carbon fiber fan —also developed and marketed by Schübeler— spins at over 40000 RPM and develops over 7 pounds of thrust. The Vector-II can attain a level flying speed of over 150 mph, at which point the 6-pound plane gets small real fast. |
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 To help it land, the Vector-II has leading-edge devices which add camber to the wing and allow a relatively high angle of attack and a stall speed of about 25 mph. The drooped leading edge is clearly visible in the top photo. Future development of this jet includes the installation of a retractable landing gear, so next year, we will see this plane taxi, take-off, and land on the runway. |
 We
wish to thank everyone who came and who helped make this first Equinox
Electric Event a success. Thanks to all the help, we were able to
pull of a relatively smooth and completely accident-free event. We
learned a few things, and next year's is being planned already. |