14 DAY TRIAL // When two tech giants like NASA and Google join their forces, amazing things happen and the latest CAFE Green Flight Challenge comes to prove that.
Aimed at inspiring the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and even ignite a new electric airplane industry, the competition witnessed the biggest prize in aviation history.
Specifically, the first place prize of $1.35 million (about €1.02 million) went to team Pipistrel-USA.com of State College, Pa, while the second place prize of $120,000 (about €91,000) went to team eGenius, of Ramona, Calif.
"I'm proud that Pipistrel won, they've been a leader in getting these things into production, and the team really deserves it, and worked hard to win this prize," said Eric Raymond, team leader of eGenius.
Out the of the 14 teams that originally entered the competition, three successfully met all requirements and rose in the skies over the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif.
The winning aircraft, Taurus G4, had to fly 200 miles in less than two hours and use less than one gallon of fuel per occupant, or the equivalent in electricity.
The Taurus G4 features a double fuselage layout, an ultra-light airframe and a lithium-polymer battery bank: qualities that helped it on its way to victory. It's based on the earlier Taurus G2 design, which was unveiled to the world in February 2011.
"Two years ago the thought of flying 200 miles at 100 mph in an electric aircraft was pure science fiction," said Jack W. Langelaan, team leader of Team Pipistrel-USA.com. In all, competing teams invested more than $4 million in pursuit of the challenge prize purse.
"NASA congratulates Pipistrel-USA.com for proving that ultra-efficient aviation is within our grasp," said Joe Parrish, NASA's acting chief technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Today we've shown that electric aircraft have moved beyond science fiction and are now in the realm of practice."