New electric motor from Siemens drives airplane

Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a mass of 50 kg, can deliver a continuous power output of about 260 kW. This is five times more than comparable drive systems. With this motor built into an Extra 330 LE a successful first public flight was made at the airport of Schwarze Heide near Dinslaken in Germany. This development makes hybrid-electric driven airplanes with four or more seats a possibility.

Boeing is taking the future serious and 'leaks' concepts and futuristic designs to the press regularly. The SUGAR gives us a glance into the future of aviation. Boeing's Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Volt concept was borne out of the same NASA research program that gave birth to MIT's “double bubble” concept, the SUGAR Volt is a twin-engine aircraft design notable for its trussed, elongated wings and electric battery gas turbine hybrid propulsion system – a system designed to re...

Aviation has most definitely jumped on the eco bandwagon, judging by the amount of press releases I bump into lately. I consider that good news of course. Two months ago I wrote a little piece on Boieng working together with MIT on a pretty cool project: the ‘Double Bubble', a highly fuel efficient airplane. And when Boieng moves, it never takes long before we hear something of Airbus. And what we hear is good news: Airbus unveiled its aircraft of the future at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK...

Boeing is at it again! The aviation giant has unveiled a hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft system. They call it... the Phantom Eye. Muhaha! Okay, it sounds a bit like a bad horror movie, but this really is a jaw dropper. The Pahtom Eye can stay aloft at 65,000 feet for four days emitting nothing other than water, making it the ultimate spycraft. Boeing can't deny that; The Phantom Eye will be used for 'data and communications collection' Boeing says (sounds like spying to me). The aircraft wil...

MIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models. In the CO2 emission rankings, aviation is high up there. But good news; MIT predicts a fundamental shift in commercial aviation. An MIT-led team has designed two green airplanes that are estimated to use 70 percent less fuel than current planes while also reducing noise and emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The MIT D 'Double Bubble', as the plain is called, could possibly replace the Boeing 737 class aircr...