New Plane Developments: Return of the Retract; Electric Inches Forward

Electric.

• Pipistrel Velis Electro receives a European type certificate. (Happened back in June?) Type certificate. Gaining access to the U.S. market laterally should be significantly less onerous than going for FAA type certification directly. Interesting note: “The motor, which Pipistrel certified separately, is available to other aircraft manufacturers.”
• I recently discovered there’s a growing community of folks in the experimental space using Zero Motorcycles powertrains:
• Electic Sonex Xenos Commute to Work (Gabriel DeVault’s other videos are also worth checking out)
• Zero DS propulsion system for aircraft power
• Motorcycle Motors as Powerplants for Experimenters
• NASA continues to refine it’s “outside the box” (multiple small motors) X-57 Maxwell electric airplane. (It’s the geek in me, but anything with an X- I kinda swoon for. Even a bastardized P2006T. Bring back the X-29!)

Retract.

• I love Paul Bertorelli (classic). Resurgence of the RG.
• Diamond DA50 RG
  
• Pipistrel Panthera (now available in the U.S.)

For all the vaunted improvements in aerodynamics, dangling-leg airplanes never quite got to the same level of speed and efficiency as their retractable cousins, and of course there’s the sexiness and “I’m flying a real airplane, without training wheels” aspect of things 😈 ...