Aviation History Made Dec. 10 2019

It was short but ever so sweet. Almost 116 years to the date the Wrights made aviation history so too did a Canadian Turbo Beaver airframe just outside Vancouver, BC.

For the first time in aviation history a commercially scheduled air carrier flew an all-electric airplane. It took off from the Fraser River and flew for only 5 minutes but it ushered in the real significant possibility of electric propulsion commercial air travel.

Harbour Air, an all-seaplane scheduled commercial airline based in Vancouver, BC made the historic flight in a Beaver aircraft mated to a MagniX Magni500 electric motor flown by Harbour Air's CEO Greg McDougall. This current configuration can fly for 60 minutes on a single charge. He said the airline plans to spend the next 2 years getting this electric aircraft certified and approved for commercial flight. After certification, they will concentrate on extending flight time. Harbour Air currently flies to 12 destinations on the West Coast, has a fleet of 53 floatplanes and employs 450 people between BC and Seattle.

News reports are pumping this up, and it's cool, but let's keep it in perspective... it was a test flight of an experimental electric aircraft that happens to be owned by an airline. The reporting I've seen makes it sound like they're ready to start carrying passengers soon, which is not the case.

But it's an interesting application for electric: Harbor Air flies around the islands, lots of short (15 minute) hops, the kind of mission where electric might work, if they can live with the recharge times.

Lots of hope and optimism but found all accounts short on facts. Given HA’s longest flight is about an hour this might be a good business model for commercial electric flight.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/...global-energy/

The research, in this report, see the link, may seem unrelated to electric aircraft and hard to digest as true, but have an open mind, a smart mind would be better.

Turn off the light switch and where all in the dark. Grounded also.

Well I was going to place a link. Why can't I?

OK, looks like the link is in place hope it works.

Jake Speed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jake Speed

The research, in this report, may seem unrelated and hard to digest as true, but have an open mind, a smart mind would be better.

Turn off the light switch and where all in the dark. Grounded also.

Well I was going to place a link. Why can't I?

Jake Speed

---

I knew there was only one person on this forum currently that would piss all over this and that would be you. WTF is wrong with you? Your light switch has long been off placing you in a very dark place. The rest of us down here on earth know you are far from grounded.

MODERATORS please deal with this drivel, he's proven to be a non contributing pain since he first started posting a couple of months ago. You can look it up.

I'm guessing you misread me?

I started to talk about a report that was put together by reliable Journalists that has absolutely nothing to do with this electric powered aircraft in Canada. But similar.

I could not post the link?

BTW. What do you have against free speech? Or speech you don't like?

Jake Speed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jake Speed

I could not post the link?

---

Did you click on the "Link" icon in the Quick Reply toolbar?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dana

News reports are pumping this up, and it's cool, but let's keep it in perspective... it was a test flight of an experimental electric aircraft that happens to be owned by an airline. The reporting I've seen makes it sound like they're ready to start carrying passengers soon, which is not the case.

But it's an interesting application for electric: Harbor Air flies around the islands, lots of short (15 minute) hops, the kind of mission where electric might work, if they can live with the recharge times.

---

Instead of fuel tanks, slip out a battery, slip in a new one.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/wind-turbines-are-neither-clean-nor-green-and-they-provide-zero-global-energy/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scooper

Did you click on the "Link" icon in the Quick Reply toolbar?

---

Scooper,

Thank you for that. I'll try to place the link above in my other Post. I'll place it here also.

My point with the report I'm posting is simple. "Not everything is what it seems."

Jake Speed

Unfortunately for most green energy solutions, the image is mort important than the science and facts. We’re slowly getting there but it’s not the panacea the greenies want us all to believe.
As for the HA flight I would be interested to know that change in the Beaver’s empty weight was.

They will need a major electric grid upgrade to charge 50 Beavers onsite.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Airmutt

Unfortunately for most green energy solutions, the image is mort important than the science and facts. We’re slowly getting there but it’s not the panacea the greenies want us all to believe.
As for the HA flight I would be interested to know that change in the Beaver’s empty weight was.

---

I'd be more interested where the financing came from? Canada is big on "Green" and fake Windmills.

Jake Speed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jake Speed

I'd be more interested where the financing came from? Canada is big on "Green" and fake Windmills.

Jake Speed

---

That comment brings to mind the common sentiment in western Canada that all the problems we are having getting our oil to world markets is due to influence from our southern neighbours who like to keep our oil well below world price.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bill Berson

They will need a major electric grid upgrade to charge 50 Beavers onsite.

---

I wonder what the actual cost "per mile" or kilometer or MPG it woulsd take to produce the electricity to travel a certain distance as compaired to gasoline.
Bob, and no, I'm not going to spend any of my time to try to figure it out. It was a fleeting moment that passed through my mind.

The cost of electricity is much less than gasoline. The cost of the batteries can be significant, depending how they are discharged/charged.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raytoews

That comment brings to mind the common sentiment in western Canada that all the problems we are having getting our oil to world markets is due to influence from our southern neighbours who like to keep our oil well below world price.

---

How does Mexico accomplish this?

Jake Speed

Can I fly it??? I promise not to gone long...

Lets see a Tesla battery is roughly 1,200 lbs but sports the energy of about 2.5
gallons of gas... So to equal 50 gallons of aviation fuel I'll need about 25,000 lbs of
batteries... no???

I dont know how mexico is doing but I know oil we export to USA is priced far below west texas crude.
This is syncrude oil the most refined oil in the world.
To be fair it is our own govt that is restricting our exports whether it is responding to environmental pressure created by American lobby groups.
Political interference by outside countries is nothing new.

Isn’t 1200 lbs the fuel load for a Beaver????

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raytoews

I dont know how mexico is doing but I know oil we export to USA is priced far below west texas crude.
This is syncrude oil the most refined oil in the world.
To be fair it is our own govt that is restricting our exports whether it is responding to environmental pressure created by American lobby groups.
Political interference by outside countries is nothing new.

---

I know this quite well. It's no longer the last 16 years. Environmentalists are now in the back seat and efforts are made to keep them there, at lest in the US. Political and Lobbying efforts are at their lowest.

I've been to Canada many times, I especially like Old Quebec City. Wonderful people.

Jake Speed