Chapter member Dan Holden is building a Mitchell U2 Superwing motorglider. It is a single seat flying wing in the pusher configuration. Original plans called for a 22 horsepower engine, but he plans to fit a 20 kW electric motor.
The flight controls and surfaces are done, with many of the control rods in carbon fiber. Dan plans to cover it with Oratex light. The main design goal is to have two hours of endurance at 50 knots and remain under the part 103 (electric) empty weight limit of 284 lbs.
Dan has built a mold for a carbon fiber seat and is experimenting with Raspberry Pi based flight instruments. The original plans called for folding wings, but current thinking is to build it with fixed wings to save weight and complexity. The overall wingspan is 37 feet. Options Dan is considering include retractable landing gear and multiple motors and propellers. The theoretical power requirements in cruise are about 4 kW depending upon propeller efficiency, which will necessitate about a 10 kW-hr battery capacity.
Stay tuned . . .
Are you starting a project build or just need workbenches in your garage? The EAA has plans for building workbenches that don’t take up much room and can be adjusted for a square work area or a long work area for building wings. Click here for the plans.
Stewart made the first flight in his Zodiac 601SLB earlier this month before the smoke grounded everything.
Posted 9/2020
Here are some Photo’s of Mike’s project to update his airplane…
Posted 10/28/2019
Progress Check: Here’s a photo of Mark attaching the bottom wing skins to one of the wings of his “to be” RV 8. Fuselage has been ordered but with the Covid-19 virus shutting everything down it may be delayed.
posted 2019
