Please find here attached the press release
issued after the presentation of the Euroglider to the press today,
Thursday May 27, at the Ecole de l’Air (Salon-de-Provence,
France).
Press ReleaseMay 27th, 2021
The EUROGLIDER autonomous electric glider
project, led by AEDEVV, Dassault Aviation and the
ISAE Group and supported by GIFAS, is ready for
takeoff
The result of an innovative partnership
launched at the end of 2014, involving the European Gliding
Development Association (AEDEVV), Dassault Aviation and the
engineering schools of the ISAE Group, the EUROGLIDER project aims
to develop an electrically powered two-seater glider for teaching,
release and training. As part of the energy transition trend in the
aviation sector, EUROGLIDER addresses three issues: operational,
environmental and economic. At the focal point of several
technological challenges, the project is currently in the
experimental test bench phase (ground + flight) and will soon begin
preparations for the industrial phase. The ambition of this glider
is to be able to carry out complete instruction flights
autonomously without having to wait for favorable atmospheric
conditions and with full respect for the
environment.
Developing the gliding sector in
Europe
The EUROGLIDER project aims to meet the needs
expressed by European gliding training centers. An ecological
activity by its very nature, gliding nonetheless requires favorable
atmospheric conditions to achieve the altitude necessary to perform
training flights. Because waiting periods can sometimes be
prolonged, nearly 2/3 of newly registered pilots give up before
their first solo flight. Thanks to its electric propulsion, the
EUROGLIDER will be able to perform a series of several training
flights of more than 40 minutes autonomously and without waiting
for favorable conditions. It will allow training organizations to
multiply by 2 to 3 times the number of training flights per year
while reducing the learning period for students.
Improved operating conditions for flying
clubs
Thanks to its autonomous takeoff capability, the
EUROGLIDER will reduce takeoff costs by 60 to 70% compared to the
use of a conventional tow aircraft. Moreover, it will allow flying
clubs to better distribute gliding activity by operating the glider
throughout the year, depending less on atmospheric conditions.
Training centers will be able to ensure a return on their
investments but also to better optimize human resources, whether
they are professionals or volunteers.
Reducing aviation’s
climate footprint
The EUROGLIDER project falls within the scope of
the Clean Sky 2 program launched by the European Commission, which
aims to achieve industrial implementation of new
environment-friendly technologies. With its autonomous takeoff
thanks to its decarbonized electric propulsion, i.e. without the
help of conventional tow aircraft, the EUROGLIDER will reduce the
total take-off weight by 50%. It will also eliminate sources of
noise pollution for people living near airfields.
Innovating to overcome construction and
design challenges
The EUROGLIDER meets several
technological challenges:
> An energy challenge: to
allow an aircraft weighing more than 600 kg to perform a series of
flight lessons lasting 40 to 50 minutes with multiple climbs above
1,300 meters without updrafts, thanks to optimized on-board energy
density.> A construction challenge to meet limits on
weight and wing loading: to design a high-performance
EASA-certified aerostructure, while reducing the weight of the
airframe compared to equivalent non-powered conventional training
gliders, and ensuring compatible, controlled production and
acquisition costs.> A challenge in the overall design
for operational use: to allow simple and reliable
operation, reproducing all the characteristics and handling
qualities as well as the ergonomics of conventional training
gliders for student pilots and instructors; to integrate new
innovative and efficient training methods and tools; to facilitate
maintenance.
The stages of the project
Until 2018 |
Design studies in response to user and market expectations |
2019-2021 |
Experimental phases using ground + flight test benches and
preparation of the industrial phase: test benches (flight
+ ground); confirmation of aerostructure and energy-propulsion
systems; confirmation of flight missions; early specifications for
industrial phase |
2022-2024 |
Development engineering and EUROGLIDER industrial consortium |
2019-2021: the intermediate stage of the
Experimental Test Bed demonstrator at the École de
l'Air
The objectives of the operating concept of the
EUROGLIDER and its flight missions called for design innovations
leading to architectural configurations that were unprecedented for
a glider. An experimental test bench was therefore developed and
flights were carried out by a test pilot according to two series of
programs filed with the French civil aviation authority (DGAC),
with the support and resources of the French Air and Space Force
military school, École de l’Air, on Air Force Base 701 in
Salon-de-Provence, under an agreement established with the Air and
Space Force Staff.
The results obtained, first with towed flight
launches, then with takeoffs and autonomous climbs using on-board
electrical energy, were perfectly nominal with regard to the
initial objectives in terms of maneuverability, pilot control and
performance. They validate the relevance of the operating concept
as well as the technical configurations chosen for the EUROGLIDER,
and provide technical data for the engineering work for the
industrial development phase to come.
This project is supported by GIFAS.
Pictures of the project for the media are
available at:
https://www.ecole-air-espace.fr/euroglider-espace-presse-du-27-mai-2021/
Media contactsOXYGEN Agency |
Juliette Vienotjuliette.v@oxygen-rp.com+33 (0)5 32 11 07 36 |
Charline Kohlercharlinek@oxygen-rp.com+33 (0)5 32 11 07 32 |
About the
ISAE GroupThe ISAE Group brings
together schools in the field of aerospace engineering under a
common banner. It aims to meet the needs of the aerospace sector by
offering a wide range of training programs dedicated to the field
(engineers, masters, specialized masters and doctorates); to
constitute a quality guarantee for these programs; and to develop
joint projects between its members. With five schools, some 30
training programs and more than 1,600 graduates per year, the ISAE
Group offers the aerospace industry a range of high-level
scientific and technical graduates that is unique in Europe. The
ISAE Group's schools are present in France in all the major
aeronautical and space regions with ISAE-SUPAERO
(Occitanie-Toulouse), ISAE-ENSMA (Nouvelle Aquitaine - Poitiers),
ISAE-SUPMÉCA (Ile de France - Saint-Ouen), ESTACA (Ile-de-France -
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Pays de la Loire - Laval) and École
de l’Air (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur - Salon-de-Provence). In 2020,
ESTIA (Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bidart, EIGSI (Nouvelle Aquitaine - La
Rochelle) and Elisa Aerospace (Hauts-de-France and Nouvelle
Aquitaine - Saint-Quentin and Saint-Jean D’Illac) became partner
schools. The Euroglider project allows the ISAE Group to
participate with its teacher-researchers and students in the design
and implementation of an innovative, ambitious, realistic and
meaningful project.
About the
AEDEVVThe European Gliding Development Association
(AEDEVV) aims to generate and support projects to develop gliding
activity and practice in France and Europe. It also develops
related national and European activities relating to the
aeronautical world in all its sporting, educational, technical,
industrial, environmental and societal dimensions. The Euroglider
project was born from the reflections of French and European glider
pilots who were concerned about providing concrete answers to the
time constraints and financial issues with respect to glider
training, and the reduction of its environmental footprint.
About Dassault
AviationWith over 10,000 military and civil aircraft
(including 2,500 Falcons) delivered in more than 90 countries over
the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise
recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support
of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the
high-end Falcon family of business jets, military drones and space
systems. The Euroglider project is fully in line with Dassault
Aviation's overall policy of cooperation with the education sector.
The company is supporting the students of the ISAE Group in this
ambitious and realistic aeronautical project, with problems close
to those encountered by its engineers.
Veuillez trouver ci-joint le communiqué diffusé à l’issue de la
présentation de l’Euroglider à la presse ce jour (jeudi 27 mai) sur
le site de l’Ecole de l’Air (Salon-de-Provence).
Grafico Azioni Dassault Aviation (EU:AM)
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Da Mar 2024 a Apr 2024
Grafico Azioni Dassault Aviation (EU:AM)
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