Home NEWS Edmonton pilot hopes to cross the finish line in international electric airplane race | CBC News

Edmonton pilot hopes to cross the finish line in international electric airplane race | CBC News

by admin2 admin2
9 views
Edmonton pilot hopes to cross the finish line in international electric airplane race | - News

Scott Holmes and his team are trying to accomplish something that’s never been done before in the aviation industry: develop, build, and successfully run an electric motor in an airplane race. Edmonton pilot Scott Holmes stands beside his 1993 Cassutt racing plane in a hangar at the Villeneuve Airport. (Min Dhariwal/CBC)Scott Holmes and his team are trying to accomplish something that’s never been done before in the aviation industry: develop, build, and successfully run an electric motor in an airplane race.  The team has spent the last year developing a prototype but is keeping tight-lipped about their progress and the details. There are seven other teams from North America and Europe working to do the same thing, trying to race their planes in the 2020 Air Race E, billed as the first all-electric airplane race in the world. “Racing’s all about experimenting,” said Holmes, whose Team Outlaw is based out of the tiny Villeneuve Airport, located in Sturgeon County, Alta., about 40 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. It’s home to the only Canadian team in this competition.  Edmonton man prepares for takeoff at international air racing event “This game’s all about tinkering, experimenting, designing new modifications, finding ways to reduce drag and go faster,” he said. The host city and exact date of the inaugural event has not been announced.  The mechanical engineer by day found out about this contest over a year ago. Since then it’s been all hands on deck to come up with a high performance electric motor. His team includes high-level expertise thanks to some engineering friends who’ve been working in the electric vehicle market in Silicon Valley.  Thrill-seeking pilot takes home-built Formula One plane onto the world stage Holmes, 30, has been flying since he can remember. His first plane ride came when he was a toddler.   That led to a commercial pilot’s licence at age 17. In 2016 he took the plunge into racing planes in Formula One Air Racing, which he says is basically like Formula One car racing, but in the air.   For the last three years, he’s raced in places like China, Thailand and the United States, honing his skills in the circuits at more than 400 km/h just 15 metres off the ground. Holmes says coming up with an electric engine and proper design forced him to go back and dig through some of his engineering books from university, researching for a contest he describes as unchartered territory.  Stiff competition Taking on aviation royalty like Rolls-Royce and Airbus, Team Outlaw is up against some stiff competition. While their competitors’ budgets are in the millions, Team Outlaw’s budget is a modest $100,000, much of which is being picked up by various sponsors, Holmes said. So far, he says he’s happy with his team’s progress.   “We’ve got a spinning electric motor with propeller, making wind, making noise and everything,” added Holmes with a smile.    A new plane with no moving parts flies by electrifying the air Social Sharing The next step is to get the engine into his 1993 Cassutt racer, which Holmes says costs about the same as a Honda Civic.  The date and location for that test is still up in the air.

You may also like

Leave a Comment