History Lands at Daytona World War II Era Aircraft Landing at KDAB

Nick Infantino Correspondent

On Thursday, Mar. 16, a B-24 Liberator and B-29 Superfortress are scheduled to arrive for a weekend at KDAB for a part of the Commemorative Air Force’s AirPower History Tour. It might seem difficult to have a part in it, but as a student who has been involved for two years and is a trainee for the flight crew, I will be flying into KDAB with this special aircraft. This event will be a great chance to get ERAU students involved in working and flying old aircraft that are part of displays across the country. The nonprofit organization that runs this, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), has been a driving force in promoting aviation to the next generations by operating World War II (WW2) era aircraft to teach the public about WW2 history, honoring veterans, and getting the younger generations a physical experience with aviation. The organization’s mission aligns with the CAF’s Honor, Educate, and Inspire motto.

As a freshman in the AMS department, I have been a part of this tour for a year now and been promoting to younger people that they should be encouraged to work on warbirds, help out on the AirPower History Tour, or at other CAF units— including one unit in DeLand that operates a T-34 Mentor. Getting involved with the CAF is a great opportunity since you will make great connections with people in the aviation industry around the country. Joining the CAF will also give you hands-on experience on aircraft with personnel who have already been in the aviation industry for a while.

What makes this special is that you get to see, feel, hear, and touch these aircraft. This unique experience allows ERAU students to see one of the only two flying Boeing B-29

Superfortress and a flying B-24 Liberator with a unique history. During the fall semester, I encouraged one of my new friends Nick Marchetti, who is also in the AMS department, to join. Marchetti says, “The volunteers from the CAF are welcoming, and they have a special and unique history to share, and I’m excited to work and learn with them in the summer.”

The bombers are scheduled to be accompanied by a P-51 Mustang, T-6 Texan, C-45 Expeditor, T-34 Mentor, and a Stearman Biplane. I encourage ERAU students to check out these historic aircraft when they stop in Daytona at Yelvington Jet Aviation FBO. The aircraft will have ground tours, and rides will be for sale. The gate fee is $20 for adults and is good for the whole day.

Noah Cooperman Sta Reporter

Everyone knows that electric trains are very popular, and it is clear that electric cars are on the rise, but what if I told you that we are currently living in the dawn of electric airplanes? No, not unmanned drones that survey forests and hunt down missing people; I’m talking about planes where you can sit and y, just like the Cessnas and Diamonds with combustion engines sitting on our ramp. Let me introduce you to the next generation of training aircra , the Velis Electro and Alpha Electro by Pipistrel Aircra Company.

Pipistrel was founded in 1989 with the vision of developing safe, personalized aircra that are environmentally friendly and a ordable. Headquartered in Aidussina, Slovenia, the company has various facilities in other parts of Slovenia and Italy.

e Velis Electro is hailed as the rst-ever type certi ed electric-powered airplane, fully approved for pilot training in day VFR operations. As a two-seater, high-wing airplane, it is intended primarily for pilot training and is a game-changing aircra in terms of technological innovations and coste ciency. e Velis Electro can be operated commercially and is fully approved for pilot training and other operations. With its 60 decibels of quietness, the plane is considerably quieter than its combustion counterparts and produces no emissions.

Its revolutionary powertrain is entirely liquid-cooled, including two desktop-sized batteries. It demonstrated the ability to withstand faults, battery thermal runaway events, crash loads, and various weather conditions as part of the certi cation process. As a result, the Velis Electro surpassed the safety requirements for conventionally powered aircra .

e speci cations are relatively similar to that of a Cessna 172; the Velis Electro has a cruise speed of 90 knots, a best climb speed of 75 knots, a service ceiling of 12,000 feet, a stall speed with aps at 45 knots, a 15:1 glide ratio, and an endurance of 50 minutes plus VFR reserve. Batteries can be charged via an onboard charging port using a Pipistrel electric charger overseen by the main computer. Starting up the plane is done by four switches and requires no warm-up time before take-o . No need for 1.21 !

As a light sport aircra , the Alpha Electro is considered a revolutionary airplane capable of ying with an energy cost of $1 per ight hour. It, too, is a two- seat, high-wing airplane with slightly smaller speci cation numbers save for the 60-minute plus reserve endurance time. Pipistrel touts that the Alpha Electro is an airplane as simple to charge and use as a cell phone, making it the rst practical all-electric trainer. Furthermore, Pipistrel states on its website that “the 60+ kW electric motor only weighs 44 lbs and is more powerful than the popular [combustion] Rotax 912 series, typically used on microlights and [Light Sport Aircra ]. e 21 kWh battery pack is dual-redundant and designed to be either quickly replaceable within minutes or charged in less than one hour, thanks to the next generation of Pipistrel’s Battery Management technology.”

What does this mean for Embry-Riddle? It is undoubtedly helpful that Pipistrel is now a part of Textron since the Flight Department relies quite heavily on the conglomerate corporation for aircra . While it is valid to claim that the ight times are pathetic compared to that of a Cessna 172, remember that battery technology is constantly improving, and that current electric cars go further than those built ten years ago. Embry-Riddle is a forward-thinking university and never fails to incorporate the latest technology in ight. Hopefully, we will see the addition of the Velis Electro or Alpha Electro to the school’s eet because they are cheaper to operate, have been proven safe, meet the demands of the ever-changing aviation industry, and most importantly are better for the environment. I hope you see the positivity of electric planes joining our eet, or at least consider it a Pipistrel for your thoughts.