At first, I thought electric power for an aircraft was a novelty.

Especially because I created a few Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) that liked to use a lot of power to go fast (SportCruiser & Parrot) or take off from the water (Mermaid). It was clear to me that the electric power technology had not yet evolved to be viable for LSA aircraft. And IMHO it still has not.

However, along came the Zigolo which requires a great deal less power to fly and even zero power once self-launched to soar. And, if you have read any of my blogs, I am not too keen on 2-stroke engine power. So, I tried an off-the-shelf electrical system and sourced Kokam battery cells and wired it all up and flew to the Sun n Fun airshow in 2014. And back. It worked. Not only did I prove (at least to myself) that the Zigolo works well on electric power, I came away with a much different perspective and attitude.  

Electric power on a very light aircraft or ultralight is not only viable it offers by far the best flight experience.

Maybe my attitude is tainted by all the forced landings I experienced flying ultralights with snowmobile engines in the early 1980s. Or maybe I just value comfort, safety, and quiet more now that I am older and turning gray. I just know that in the past and even still today the first thing I do when flying an aircraft powered with a 2-stroke engine is climb for altitude and look for a place to land. Old habits die hard, I guess. But it is exactly what John Moody still does. And it gets me out of shotgun range. I do not want to be mistaken for a UAV! 

Aircraft make noise. For a few seconds then pass by. Ultralights make noise but don’t go anywhere and can be mistaken for a big mosquito irritating someone’s BBQ.

Electric aircraft motors are exceptionally reliable. It’s comfortable to fly low and slow. Plus, the motors are nearly silent.

However, most of the electric motors on the market are converted from some other application like motorcycles or scooters or scaled up RC motors. All of these have high RPMs which translates to high prop noise. No point to having a quiet motor if the prop noise remains the same.

When I flew with electric powered flight with the Zigolo some 5 years ago I discovered that:

  • It is great to fly on smooth electric power. And I feel very comfortable flying low and slow.
  • Sure,it is ‘clean power’ but to me that means no oil stains and gas to mix and clean up than it does saving the environment.
  • Electric power works very well but for very light and low-energy aircraft.
  • Motors offered on the market are not optimized for aircraft use. Primarily they spin too fast which results in just as much prop noise as with gas power. Soone of the main benefits of quiet flight is not there.
  • The best motors like out-runners are too expensive. The cheaper motors, like pancake or in-runner motors, are not efficient enough.
  • The best batteries are not necessarily the highest power. This means they need specialized containment and configuration and protection.  Less volatility is important in aviation. This must be done correctly, and it is not that simple. Ask Boeing.
  • All systems need complete integration. Everything required for a system must be designed and incorporated together. It is not a good idea to try to piece a system together. It is not so easy to pull over to the side of road and get out when the battery pack torches off. SAFETY IS A PRIMARY CONSIDERATION!

So, what took me so long? 6 years? Sheesh.

Not as easy as it looks. How many viable electric-powered ultralights have come on the market in the last 6 years?

Pretty much none.

The Zigolo is a very reasonably priced ultralight. The 2-stroke power packed for it costs about $4k. To me it did not make sense to spend more than the cost of the kit on the power system. I have spent a lot of time in China and know motor, controller, and battery manufacturers in Shenzhen. I figured I could put together a low-cost package and save everyone a lot of money. I figured wrong. I spent a lot of time and money putting together rubbish. It worked. Kind of. But not to the standard that you and I would need to be safe in the air. Afterall, you cannot just pull over and step out when your battery pack torches off.

So finally, I bit the bullet, or at least my launch customer did, and bought a professionally built and proven system from my German colleagues that I have known for years. And it is beautiful! Works great. 45-50 minutes of endurance, super performance, and safe.

I now plan to introduce a family of electric-powered aircraft based on our new ‘plug and fly’ system starting with the Zigolo.

Technical Specifications

  • Battery Packs: 2 x 3.1 kwh 14S/20P/15KG, 60Ah
  • Motor: 20kW continuous, 28 kW peak, low noise, low RPM
  • Controller: 28kW continuous/40kW peak
  • Advanced Drive Interface for an extensive display and recording of flight parameters
  • 3-blade composite propeller
  • 15A/980W charger
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