Merlin Lite ElectroLite, Part 103 Electric Powered Ultralight Aircraft.
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Merlin Lite — You look at the images of Merlin Lite and it clearly has a gasoline engine up front (a Polini), so why am I including it in an electric article? Because it has a very innovative “electric assist,” I will call it. Developer Chip Erwin calls it DEP-OD, military-like nomenclature for Distributed Electric Propulsion – On Demand. These small wing motors, used briefly to enhance a phase of flight, need only a battery you can hold in your hand because they are not primary thrust power (though they add a good measure to the total).
Here I will note that accelerating airflow over ailerons is very helpful to slow speed flight and not a new idea. You may have seen the photos of a modified Tecnam Twin with multiple small electric motors lined up all along the leading edge. The idea is to accelerate airflow over the entire wing so this aircraft could perform feats a conventional Twin could not.
By pushing air across the aileron, Merlin Lite with these small motors buried in the wings could maintain control down to nearly zero airspeed. The small wing mounted motor accelerates air over the wing, too, making for very, very short takeoffs. “It could cut takeoff roll by three times,” Chip suggested.
So Merlin doesn’t use electric power for main thrust but does make effective use of electric propulsion.
As a side note, Merlin Lite definitely will be offered with battery electric for primary thrust. Combine the wing (and possibly tail) in-wing thrust units with main power and you could have an ultralight with up to six motors, said Chip. Does that sound like a lot? Maybe, but Volocopter has 18 motors.
Electric has a future, I’m sure, but it has a present as well and it is in Part 103-type ultralights today. I’ll try to keep up for those many of you intrigued by electric.
Whatever the product timelines, these machines have large appeal.
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