Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (22357)	7/29/2010 12:34:05 PM
From: Eric	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86356

Sikorsky Develops Prototype Electric Helicopter Sikorsky Aircraft Co. in Stratford says it will unveil Firefly -- the company's first prototype electric helicopter -- on Monday at the AirVenture exhibition in Oshkosh, Wis. The Sikorsky Innovations team on Project Firefly removed the propulsion system from an S-300C helicopter and replaced it with a high-efficiency, electric motor and digital controller, along with a lithium ion battery system. Firefly features an all-electric drive system, a safe and efficient high-density storage system, automated monitoring and alert technologies, and next generation cockpit displays, according to a Sikorsky press release. The 200-horsepower motor increases the aircraft's energy efficiency by 300 percent, Sikorsky says. While the helicopter will debut Monday along with other electric-powered aircraft in the Aviation Learning Center in Oshkosh, the Firefly's first flight is not anticipated until later this year. Ground tests and safety of flight reviews must be complete in accordance with Sikorsky standards for all aircrafts. "World fuel reserves are continuing to dwindle as demand increases. This inversion of the supply/demand cycle will increase operating costs of all fuel-based vehicles, especially in the aviation industry. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the commercial helicopter market, where the critical role rotorcraft play could be threatened by spiraling fuel costs," said Mark Miller, Vice President, Sikorsky Research & Engineering, in a statement. Sikorsky is a division of United Technologies Corp. in Hartford. evworld.com