120 kg Electric Glider BIRDY - AFFORDABLE Future of Gliding? | AERO 2022

[@arthurrobey7177]

A step in the right direction. I'd still want thin-film solar cells covering the surface of the glider so that it can be used for touring in places that do not have conventional electrical power available.

[@SteFly]

Here at this glider it will be really difficult due to the strict weight limit at 120 kg... but of course it would be great!

[@bevobus]

@@SteFly Why not deck out the trailer with the solar cells and possibly a batter bank instead?

[@DLStarbuck]

Eric Raymond Solar-Flight

[@sillyoldbastard3280]

The weight would negate any benefit on an aircraft of this nature.

[@Thorgon-Cross]

@@sillyoldbastard3280 NO. 1-2Kg is not going to harm how well you fly and still get you meaningful recharge where you could not without.

[@donolsen6141]

Your channel is really getting good Stefan! it's not only about POV flying, but it's also about you and your adventures before during and after flying which i love to see. Keep it up!

[@SteFly]

Thank you for the encouraging words!

[@alexandervanwyk7669]

Thanks Stefan. This was what I waited for. Minimalistic and simple. Only issue now is how much does it cost.

[@skybaton]

Cool project but I don't like tail. It adds a lot of difficulties for take off and landing! Solution without spoilers is interesting but what if you don't have any power in the batteries? Glide performance is impressive!

[@etiennedekock902]

These are the most exciting and innovative design developments in a while. This glider might never win a race, but not all gliders should be compared to racing gliders. Compared to most other light aircraft or TMGs a 200 km vne is impressive. and 30 KW from a 4,7 kg motor!

[@daszieher]

One cannot compare an electric motor to an internal combustion engine. One has to always include the fuel tanks and the batteries for a given mission.

[@sillyoldbastard3280]

Problem being the energy isn't in the motor... it's in the heavy batteries you need to power it. We won't surpass the energy density in petroleum products in our lifetime.

[@daszieher]

@@sillyoldbastard3280 although the thought is quite seductive. Imagine an energy carrier with 10kWh/kg and a motor with almost 10kW/kg. Unfortunately any battery chemistry imaginable will not even come anywhere close to that. Maybe a fuel cell will one day, but not if it needs pure hydrogen.

[@WoutervanTiel]

@@sillyoldbastard3280 well not mine but my 17 yr old very well might see that.

[@sledawgpilot]

@@sillyoldbastard3280 Jet fuel is 50x more energy dense than a lithium batteries

[@RudisGlidingAdventures]

The Birdy project is really fascinating! I am following it since some years. Thank you Stefan for giving us an update, in particular for everybody like me who cannot join the Aero this year!

[@SteFly]

Would be cool to compare it with your Silent 2!

[@thedave7760]

@@SteFly So is this glider capable of taking off or just sustain power?

[@jimpike7445]

If I didn't already have my Silent 2 I'd certainly consider one. I like the convertible top. The 2hr endurance on electric would be great if true. The folding prop may windmill enough to stay open and provide adequate drag for approach. I expect the motor would have to supply significant braking/regen to stop the prop for folding. I doubt very much that it is reversible and even if it were , the lag in going from forward thru folded to reverse would make it impractical for glide-slope control.

[@Paul-vh6ul]

It's a glider. So the motor is not running in the pattern. The flaps would probably be the primary way to increase the rate of descent. I'd not want to rely on the motor when landing.

[@OnerousEthic]

I love the utility of the pusher prop in the tail, doubling and replacing the spoilers!

[@danko6582]

I would like to hear more about total cost of ownership, cost breakdown, takeoff distance.

[@jardiner47]

This is a an exciting development in affordable environmentally-friendly recreational aviation! I look forward to more from you on this Stefan. You do great work.

[@russellharris5072]

Maybe you could get a test flight and record that for us,that would be very interesting especially the landing with reverse power............................

[@fordstan55]

You call it affordable, but you don't say how much.

[@ackerflieger6703]

I´m pretty disappointed, because its not possible to get useful information from the manufacturer or the investors. Same information on the HP since 2 years, no actual prices nor delivery time. No technical details. I gave up. Thats not the way to promote a new electro sailplane. I either want to sell an airplane or I don't. It seems to me that they don't want .

[@SteFly]

There is no glider manufacturer out there who publishes the prices and delivery times on the homepage. If you really want to get these information you will get them. And of course it is a small team and their main focus is not marketing at the moment...

[@ackerflieger6703]

@@SteFly I tried to contact them via email and Phone. No reply. Finally I found an investor who told me, that the manufacturer is to busy to answer any questions. No comment.

[@cabanford]

@@ackerflieger6703 maybe they're busy developing something cool right now and don't want to respond to grumpy emails?? 🤷

[@ackerflieger6703]

​@@cabanford I'm a potential customer and not a grumpy email writer. With Schleicher or Schempp Hirth you get reasonable answers within 2 days. There is another german sailplane manufacturer who makes the same mistake, great products but wrong company policy. And the result?

[@PeteZoot]

@@SteFly Hope you keep us all updated on this one! I too tried emailing my interest, but no reply. I'll keep hoping from over here in Canada. thx again for the Vid! cheers, Pete

[@skyeparker5822]

Yes please more electric gliders! I would like to know if they have plans to put solar panels on the wings?

[@SteFly]

I have not heard about it. Most probably the weight limit of 120 kg would not allow to install solar panels.

[@gabrielrousseau_NM]

@@SteFly Seems if companies worked together the solar could be integrated into the wing structure without causing much weight difference. It's been done for RC for sure. There are already spy gliders with such capabilities I am sure.

[@kornerederparamotor]

Danke für deine Berichterstattungen! So bekommen wir Zuhause auch Infos von der Messe. Weiter so. VG

[@jasonsanderson3612]

Very interesting, performance sounds pretty good in terms of duration and climb rate….but how much is it going to cost???

[@SteFly]

Starting at about 60k €

[@christiannnnnnnnnn]

@@SteFly holy cow

[@DrJoel-is3uy]

I think that’s more affordable than some of the 600k ones I’ve seen

[@Daniel-eg9wo]

@@christiannnnnnnnnn thats less than an ask21

[@christiannnnnnnnnn]

@@Daniel-eg9wo I don't know much about glider prices, but I was surprised because I thought it is much.

[@donbeuch1982]

THAT IS A VERY INTERESTING GLIDER!! DOES IT CLASSIFY AS AN ULTRALIGHT IN THE US ? (NO PILOTS LICENSE OR MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS )? CAN YOU ARRANGE A FLIGHT AND DO A VIDEO I'D LOVE TO KNOW MORE!!THANKS GREATWORK!

[@SteFly]

Not sure about the US regulations. Here in the EU we need a 120 kg ultralight license but no medical. First I will need to get the license... costs some money but it's the plan

[@WoutervanTiel]

120kg = 120 x 2.205 = 264.5 pounds. The part 103 ultra light weight limit is 254 pounds. However if equipped with airframe parachute the weight limit is lifted to 278 pounds. So if a chute can be added for less than 13.5 pounds it might be possible to be a part 103 vehicle. Note part 103 vehicles are not classified as airplanes. If over weight for part 103 then you will need a glider ppl, which is not the end of the world to obtain and good education. I think the most important piece of info is the cost, I might have missed it? What does it cost?

[@robertweekley5926]

He did answer the "About" price, in a reply I read, above! So, "About €60,000!"

[@WoutervanTiel]

@@robertweekley5926 wow 60k would be great. Sign me up. Can the wings be removed/folded so it can be stored in a trailer? That is a big cost savings as in the USA T hangars are hard to find and increasingly expensive.

[@ericoschmitt]

There's one revolutionary ultralight type of glider you would really enjoy: hang gliders ;) from 19kg up to 45kg

[@SteFly]

Must be a lot of fun to fly aswell! I would love the freedome of hike and fly with a paraglider but with a hang glider you have also a lot of trouble to get in the air...

[@ericoschmitt]

@@SteFly have a look at the VR sim for HG called The Free Flight Experience by Thomas Low, built on Unreal Engine with global map like MSFS. On the "trouble", it takes less time than sailplanes. You can hike with a Finsterwalder-Charly Airfex, breaks down to 1,85m. Single surfaces can setup in 10min plus 5 for harness and camera maybe. Paras may do it in 5-10 but they sit chatting waiting for thermals anyway, in the end we take off together, even topless gliders that may take 5mins extra. Comparing both... PG is good on ground, HG better in the air ;) PGs float, feels like flying on an inflatable couch, while HGs fly like a bird. If you were going to live in the sea, would you rather be a jellyfish or swordfish? Have I mentioned cheap? A new fex will cost you 4.5k eur and last 2-3+ decades of flying, then you swap the sail and keep gooing. PGs cost more long term!

[@ericoschmitt]

@@SteFly just think about it, for the price of an "affordable" sailplane you can get 10 gliders, a van, and fly with a bunch of friends who can't afford it.

[@mystisith3984]

Progress everywhere. I like their approach. The parachute to save both human and machine should be mandatory on all gliders according to me (I get that overall weight problem is a thing but priority to safety).

[@F14DSUPERTOMCAT]

Gliders are cheap. Even with a parachute, it’ll hit the ground at a vs high enough to break it badly. Might as well confirm pilot safety and not effect performance with a parachute. Avoid parachute requiring incidents in the first place really.

[@SteveReplin]

I would really like to know more about this glider. Can you provide more info about its price and availability? And, I would love to get you into the glider with your camera to get your opinion about how it handles in the air.

[@SteFly]

I don´t know the exact prices, I only heard something about 60k € for the shell with motor.

[@carlosleon7683]

@@SteFly that's actually quite a good deal considering that class 2 hang gliders (like the Archaeopteryx and the Swift E-lite2) sell for more than that

[@alexanderfoelkel8316]

And how about performance....I mean, at higher speeds, this will really suck. Nice it climbs like a Rhönlerche.... But it probably sinks like a brick in the glide at higher speeds....Just look at the huge fuselage....that is not the way to go

[@glike2]

This is tempting to buy! 🤩

[@chrisbraid2907]

Scary when weight saving trumps secondary safety . Air braking when the prop fails might have to be a Ballistic Parachute , lighter and just as safe …

[@donzioldbuddy]

Show us the ATOS air glider please !!!

[@DealorG]

Does anyone by any chance know for what price these are going to sell new ?

[@kevinoregan7355]

Great video Stefan. It is remarkable how far technology has come, to develop such a light electric motor glider. I would love to know, launch options, climb rate in nil wind etc. Thanks

[@SteFly]

I´ll need to test it on my own and see how it performs.

[@filimonchik123tube]

I'm, probably, wrong but I use airbrakes to reduce lift, not speed. It is kind of scary to dive towards airfield with propeller basically working as a parachute. Sounds like acrobatic.

[@brianb-p6586]

Air brakes increase drag, reducing speed for the same angle of attack. Spoilers reduce lift, and also increase drag. Gliders often have linked air brakes and spoilers, so they are used together. Either has the effect of making the glide slope steeper, but they affect pitch differently.

[@geraldhaller9906]

In Segelflugzeugen macht ein E-Motor Sinn und eignet sich hervorragend um so die Reichweite zu erhöhen oder den rettenden Flugplatz zu erreichen und so lästige Außenlandungen zu vermeiden oder diese sicherer zu gestalten . Es braucht relativ wenig Leistung um ein Segelflugzeug in der Luft zu halten oder leichten Steigflug zu ermöglichen um zu starten braucht es schon etwas mehr an Leistung ist aber auch gut zu realisieren mit E-Motoren da diese auch kurzzeitig weit über ihrer eigentlichen Leistungsgrenze betrieben werden können und so relativ kleine Motoren zum Einsatz kommen können . Auch braucht es dafür keine extrem großen Akkus es würden einige wenige KWh völlig ausreichen um ein Segelflugzeug in die Luft zu bringen und dann noch zwei drei Steigflüge zu absolvieren ggf kann über Solarzellen noch etwas Energie nach getankt werden was aber sicher eher unwesentlich den Flug verlängern würde . Reine Motorflugzeuge auf Elektro zu bauen macht wenig Sinn da sehr viel Energie benötigt wird denn die oder der Motor muss dauerhaft laufen und relativ viel Power haben die auf Dauer abgegeben werden kann und so entsprechend größer sein muss und mehr Gewicht mit sich bringt selbiges bei den Akkus . Bei e-Autos geht man leider auch Irrwege und baut vorwiegend dicke schwere Autos mit E-Antrieb und damit die dann halbwegs ausreichende Reichweiten haben werden gigantische Akkus eingebaut teils mit 100kWh . Besser für die Umwelt wären kleine leichte Fahrzeuge mit denen man im Alltag zur Arbeit fährt welche mitten in der Stadt ist oder für andere Tägliche Kurzstrecken Fahrten . Möglichst wenig Energie verbrauch sollte da im Vordergrund stehen so das man mit kleinen Akkus möglichst ausreichende Reichweiten hat . Z.B. mit einem 30 kWh Akku um 250km reale Reichweite hat dieser dann an der 220v Steckdose über Nacht wieder vollgeladen werden kann .

[@fernmoss3539]

Aptera is exactly what you are suggesting.

[@helmutpohl2762]

Hi Gerald, ....gibt es doch schon längst ! ...einfach ´ mal selber informieren statt nur zu schwätzen .......

[@geraldhaller9906]

@@helmutpohl2762 Ach was dessen bin ich mir bewusst , schwätzer

[@FlyingFun.]

I've used the prop as an air brake on my rc gliders for years and it works really well, all it needs is enough throttle to open the folding props and then the drag slows it all down. You said the props reverse on this, is that correct? What price would these be?

[@jeffreystorer4966]

Finally an ev that not only is sensible but it really does fly well done

[@paulslevinsky580]

You should explain that the glider needs only a few kW of power to maintain level flight at about 1.3 x stall.

[@SteFly]

Around 3 kW for level flight, that´s insane!

[@wild2flyparagliding160]

I don't understand how they will use braking with prop to degrade your glide for landing. The folding prop opens with forward thrust. How would you achieve that to create revers or just drag? What am I missing here?

[@brunovinyl]

centrifugal forces on the prop make it stays open

[@SteFly]

You are right. It can´t be reverse power - only drag from the unfolded prop. A mechanism to controle the pitch of the prop would be awesome.

[@erikisberg3886]

A wind milling prop could create a lot of drag, autorotate down gyrocopter style, sort of... I assume pitch can be adjusted otherwise there would not be much drag.

[@Scubaseth1]

Yes! Enjoying your channel Stefan and would love to hear more about the Birdy EMG

[@fernmoss3539]

Tell me more about this glider. How long to charge? Payload? Glide ratio? Comfort? Motor sound level in the cockpit? Automobile towing requirements.

[@rodericde876]

“A great option for hot summer days” I don’t think so. It is for improved access to the cockpit for exhibition purposes.

[@hinz1]

Or to jump out more easily, if it folds up in midair....

[@Hawkeye948]

Interessantes Projekt. Für den Leistungsflug ist es zwar sicherlich nicht so geeignet, aber für den klassischen Renter mit genügend Kleingeld bietet es doch wesentlich mehr wie andere UL´s.

[@SteFly]

Richtigen Leistungsflug macht eh nur ein ganz kleiner Anteil der Segelflugpiloten. Unkompliziertes fliegen und der Spaß steht meistens im Vordergrund. Vermutlich kann man damit auch beachtliche Strecken fliegen, ähnlich wie jetzt mit der Clubklasse.

[@skyeparker5822]

Would also love to hear from the Geiger guys about what applications they have envisioned for those larger motors.

[@ricklederman]

No spoilers, counting on the electric system to always work, and always have enough power to create enough drag for a normal descent and landing. I don't think so. Great video anyway, thanks!

[@louisvanrijn3964]

The early ASW12's had no speedbrakes. Once under a big strong cloud near the cloud base it is very nerve wracking not to be sucked into the clouds and stay VMC. Seen the claimed L/D of 40 the speed will rapidly approch the Vne in this situation. Nevertheless the complete concept is brilliant.

[@colinjacobs176]

Would love to see a test flight. The lack of airbrakes is interesting - if there's any problem with the motor, then you might get into difficulties with an outlanding.

[@gregb1599]

It's electric so extremely reliable

[@julianday]

@@gregb1599 so are sat navs till they fail !

[@uproid]

Any glider pilot knows how to sideslip, which is the alternative if your airbrakes don't work, so I'm not too concerned about that. I remember during my training in the 2 seater, on one approach I found the airbrake was completely jammed, and I had to sideslip it into a landing. I then discovered that the reason the brakes were jammed was because the instructor had his foot on the lever, just checking me out to see that I could cope without them.

[@colinjacobs176]

@@uproid This is true although modern gliders like this are very slippery - I wonder what the sideslip does to the glide path, would it get the L/D below 10?

[@BoomVang]

@@colinjacobs176 It's really a forward slip which is my favorite maneuver because it seems so naughty to cross control. I forget the steepness, but it certainly can make noise when airflow goes non-laminar. I always wondered what happens if you alternate the controls back and forth to play with the lag of laminar flow.

[@r0cketplumber]

I'd like to see an FMEA for using the electric drive as the speed brake, it requires the complex system to function vs the simple mechanical spoiler. The spoiler function, if not available, can be compensated for by flying uncoordinated at the cost of higher pilot workload, so it may be acceptable.

[@r.p.3192]

Cooler Einblick ins Heckpropeller Konzept👍 Gerne mehr Infos Stefan🙏 Gruss von den Kanaren☀️🏖

[@SteFly]

Danke 🙂

[@tadeksmutek5840]

Thank you, Stefan - very interesting glider concept!

[@tobiasribisch712]

how much does it cost?

[@neal-stewart834]

it would be nice to here more details Thanks

[@michaeleisele_fly]

Danke Stefan für das Video. Den Birdy verfolge ich auch schon länger. Es ist ein total spannendes Konzept und ich denke der Segelflug wäre gut beraten, auch mal etwas mehr in die Richtung 120kg Klasse zu schauen. Fliegen ohne Medical, Eigenstarter und vermutlich völlig allein handlebar und das alles zu "normaleren Preisen" sind in meinen Augen sehr viele wichtige Argumente die sicher dem Zulauf des Segelflugs nicht schaden würden, wenn man sich nur die Zahl Lizenzinhaber Segelflug vs. UL anschaut, kann größer, teurer, usw. nicht das Ziel sein.

[@SteFly]

Danke Michael! Das sehe ich genauso.

[@Glen.Danielsen]

Dankeschön, Stefan! Deutsch engineering at work again! Cheers to you from the States. 🇺🇸💛🇩🇪

[@haraldschallerl2973]

Diese neuen Konzepte bringen meiner Meinung nach den Segelflug wieder zu seinem Ursprung. Federleicht und Spaß pur. Das größte Handicap ist wieder einmal die Bürokratie. Ich mit einem SPL mit Hilfsmotorstartberechtigung darf zwar bis zum Arcus alles fliegen aber nicht diesen kleinen Elektroflitzer. Ich habe einige Wochen die Silent 2 Electro (mit österreichischer Sonderzulassung) probieren dürfen. Hätte ich die finanziellen Mittel, wäre das für mich das ideale Spaßflugzeug. Ich habe auf meinem KZbinkanal schon 14 Follower. Vielleicht werde ich, wie du, noch zum erfolgreichen Blogger und die Hersteller reißen sich darum mir solche Fliegerlein zu Testzwecken zu überlassen;-))

[@SteFly]

Ist wirklich schade, dass man dafür erst einen neuen Fluschein machen muss. Vermutlich ist das aber nicht sonderlich schwer und auch die Kosten sollten sich in Grenzen halten.

[@wuseling]

Whats the max pilots weight ? (Finally I found it on the Website: max take-off weight: 280 kg)

[@SteFly]

I think it is 300 kg

[@bobjoatmon1993]

wondering how they've handled the torsional resonance of the long drive shaft which is what is the usual problem with long shaft rear drives

[@SteFly]

I heard something about it.. they also had problems at the beginning and now they are using a slightly bigger diameter carbon fiber tube.

[@bobjoatmon1993]

@@SteFly the biggest problem is when the rotating propeller blade passes through the 'shadow' of dirty disturbed air behind the rear control surfaces (the rudder) and it causes a "bump" and that's what causes the vibration. With a piston engine you also get the power pulses torquing the drive shaft BUT with an electric motor that's eliminated. Going up in drive shaft tube size helps the resonance problem but then other issues arise as the drive tube gets larger... It's all a compromise

[@lesizmor9079]

@@SteFly A bigger diameter will probably help, but is not the main problem/solution. On long shafts, there MUST be non-symmetrical spacing between the anchor bearings that the shaft passes through. If the shaft is 2 meters long for example, pass-through bearings would be at 0.45 meter, 1.1 meter, and 1.8 meter. This makes sympathetic standing-wave vibrations unable to develop in the shaft. This is a MUST!

[@erikisberg3886]

It reminds me of those crazy Thai riverboats that just have a long prop shaft stuck on a big v8 or similar...I do not understand how that works, but it is somehow dynamically stable. Built a small model long time ago that worked, to my surprise. It seems like adding additional supports easily makes it unstable.

[@bobjoatmon1993]

@@erikisberg3886 ah, I remember those... Good times in 1973 on leave. Yes, in my month living in Bangkok right beside the river I never saw one whipping or vibrating with any syne waves. I wonder if it's because it's only supported at one end and the shafts are fairly large diameter (proportionally)

[@PureGlide]

It's interesting, but hard to comprehend who the target market is? Non competitive local pilots who want an electric launch? Not sure I like the idea of needing power to get down, but as you say not having air brakes would save a huge amount of weight, control rods, and time to build.

[@SteFly]

I´m in contact with two customers who previously flew paragliders/ hanggliders. Having the possibility to self-launch + a reasonable range with electric power is great. For most pilots it´s not important to fly 1000 km, it´s more about beeing in the air and enjoying the flight. Here in Germany we also have bigger advantages for 120 kg microlight planes: No medical, no yearly checks by an inspector, .... And at the end the performance is not worse than a club class glider. I could imagine to buy one one day.

[@halsmith5034]

This is interesting niche for UL-rated machines in the United States (FAA FAR103). The e-Birdy would not quite make that specification (115kg empty and maximum 45km unpowered stall) but is very close. The ATOS Wing also seen in the video does qualify I think, as does the developing Aeriane Swift 3.

[@cabanford]

@@SteFly as a comp paragliding pilot, I was about to say the same thing. The gap between high end sailplanes and paragliders keeps getting smaller 😎😎😎

[@lesizmor9079]

@@halsmith5034 With an airframe recovery parachute, as this has provision for, the weight limit goes up. The BRS Soft-Pack should do it.

[@benmcconnell6008]

Yes, let's see you give it a flight.

[@Pleksilasi]

how much does the motor + batteries weight? a twostroke + few liters of gas is smaller, lighter and has better mpg

[@andrewpreston4127]

So, if the engine has failed, then there are no air brakes.... ?

[@SteFly]

You can have the airbrakes aswell. Only this customer decided to not include the airbrakes..

[@viericzek]

Hi Stefan! Really inspirating material & video! I really appreciate your english skill! I've never seen this project. Birdy is for me absolutely new way of gliders design and just look into the future :) Thanks so much for this video! MW

[@SteFly]

Hi Marcin, thank you so much for the comment. I will try to make my 120 kg ultralight license soon, so I can testfly it.

[@viericzek]

@@SteFly and moreover a lot of other gliders! Good luck! :)

[@pedtrog6443]

Yep, would love to see it flying. Another question... is there no horizontal stabilizer?

[@DavidOfWhitehills]

I guess it goes on the top of the tailfin.

[@brianb-p6586]

The horizontal stabilizer does go on top of the tail; it is not mounted a the time of the video (and there are other missing hatches and unfinished details).

[@surplusstock8778]

How much weight would a parachute add for the glider?Seems like it should be mandatory. Would give great peace of mind.

[@berndhachmeister4357]

Great video. 120KG ready to fly with battery pack?

[@SteFly]

I think it's without the battery packs

[@ronaldglider]

let's see more about this!

[@sailplaneencyclopedia]

Definitely interested in knowing more about the Birdy ultralight glider., thanks

[@stijnvandamme76]

does the prop as brake.. also regen the battery?

[@brucemiller8109]

First...Ill keep spoilers please, second Price?, third Pilot weight?.. im 240lbs and 6-4 and fit well in the old 2-32.

[@archivist17]

An innovative and interesting design.

[@darlingtonmachona2010]

Nice work Stefan, love the content

[@Nicolasfcl]

Sure i'm interested such a glider ! Could you try it ? How. many € it cost ? Where is it build ?

[@SteFly]

I will try it!

[@vortex_un]

you can literally take it home with a friend. amazing.

[@DanFrederiksen]

very nice to have low weight including motor, I'm a big believer that planes can be a lot better than they are, mainly powered planes where they can get away with poor engineering. I would like to see a similar optimized plane with a pressurized cabin and 2 tiny turbofan jet engines on it for a design speed well over 500km/h. I think that concept has enormous potential. People fail to appreciate that a turbofan plane can be very fuel efficient at altitude and have extreme range so we can have fast, cheap, fuel efficient, long range planes with dual engine redundancy for ocean crossing capability. It would be a small revolution.

[@helmutpohl2762]

Hi Dan, - so You need only 12 hours to fly from Frankfurt to New York - alone in Your plane ...........and so cheap ...... ha ha ha

[@DanFrederiksen]

@@helmutpohl2762 It could be a tandem or 4 seater, same premise. And it could be 9-10 hours to New York which is pretty fast from decision time, likely beating an airliner and it becomes extremely fast when it's not a common destination like New York. Say Nova Scotia, Kentucky or Manitoba, well outside any major city. It might be 4 times faster than commercial airliner. And similarly inside Europe. Say Fyresdal Norway to Mors Denmark, a trip that takes quite a long time and cannot be done by commercial air but in a personal plane could be done in 30 minutes for next to no money while it might cost 400$ by cars and planes and trains and take 18 hours. Rich people pay big money for less freedom. Or Paderborn, Germany to Norwich, England, that's 45 minutes but try doing that with public transport. I just did a search on travellink, 4 flights each way, 800$, 10½ hours one way and you depart at 7AM and 19hours the other way. With a personal jet you just go whenever you want and it's close to cost free. With runway to runway autopilot you don't even have to fly it. Private jet freedom but no more expensive than a car. If done right.

[@lucywucyyy]

i love it! id love something like this but i think it should have spoilerons, surely that wouldnt add much weight

[@SteFly]

It´s available with spoilers aswell.

[@lucywucyyy]

@@SteFly nice!

[@dominicserafino6029]

When are you going to test one?

[@SteFly]

Hopefully this year. But first I need to get the microlight license...

[@Michal_Wlodarczyk2100]

Does the 2 hour endurance mean continuous electric engine output?

[@SteFly]

Not sure about it. Might be a little bit optimistic for 2 batteries, with 3 batteries it is definately possible.

[@LoveBikesDorel]

Sounds good , as an ex aerobatic glider pilot i don’t like the idea of no aerodynamic brakes , the engine reverse Is ok but once you end up with no battery loosing brakes doesn’t sound great., 😊

[@jonshereshaw3198]

Tell me more with the glider assembled. Price? What license do I need to fly it?

[@johnnycomelately6341]

I am interested to see more about the Birdy

[@FreedZ]

Schönes Video über ein gutes Flugzeugkonzept. Was ist die Gleitzahl vom Birdy?

[@mikaelfransson3658]

increase the weight with suncellpanels on the wings and a front propeller its 5 kilos more and make the concept ten times better!

[@SteFly]

Why should be a front propeller be any better?

[@walterporges6738]

Wieviel Höhenmeter können mit einer vollen Batterie erzielt werden? Gibt es PV-Paneele?

[@stijnvandamme76]

open cockpit : how much extra drag?

[@danko6582]

Is there a tow launch option?

[@G11713]

Why build a mere flight extender when you can build a self launcher?

[@skypilot23]

where is the ELEVATOR on the Birdie?!?

[@davidniquot6423]

Seems dangerous to have a shaft that long .. if it break .. what happend to the structure ?

[@lynnkramer1211]

Wait, on that Birdy electric propulsion, where is the elevator?

[@SteFly]

Yes, electric propulsion and the elevator was missing at the Aero.

[@TheShahrokh9]

What are the specs! The surface area ! The aspect ratio,! Stall speed! 103 legal requirements are to have it with less than 24 kn stall speed and that will dictate what will be the surface area size and total wing load..

[@denisconrad8534]

Is the Birdy going to be my return to Ultralight and Glider ? You tell em Stefan (thanks for the shared video) Friedrichshafen defenitely is an interestign spot

[@iluminumfalcon8619]

The handle moved by itself is it wireless control???

[@seamuscashin2606]

what useful load can it carry ie pilot weight the long shaft would have loss of power

[@perceptor3799]

how can you take off if the propeller will tach the ground?

[@helmutpohl2762]

....a very good question ! .....maybe You think about it by Yourself ........................

[@RudixSA]

Wow, fantastic! Would love one of those to fly from my home field.

[@atharvasahu1220]

So can it fly without any support suchas tow winch or other support?

[@daxdadog]

In other words....does the prop clear the ground, so it can take off unassisted?

[@atharvasahu1220]

@@daxdadog yep that's what I wanted to say

[@SteFly]

Yes it can 👍

[@atharvasahu1220]

@@SteFly thanks for reply

[@erikisberg3886]

I am a noob on these microlight gliders...Perhaps a stupid question, but can You fly these on an EASA glider licence? Or do You require a country specific micro light licence?

[@SteFly]

You need a micro light licence because it has a propulsion system. A micro light glider without propulsion would only need a check flight...

[@erikisberg3886]

@@SteFly Thanks for the clarification, makes sense! I thought that perhaps it was under the same rules as SLG:s.

[@TheStudyBubble]

How much does the battery weigh?

[@Argosh]

No speed brakes? So you're just gonna glide it down the runway once you're too low for running the motor safely?

[@SteFly]

There is also the option for airbrakes available ;)

[@nicklockard]

Can't find the price anywhere online. How much?

[@licencetoswill]

more info please, as much as possible

[@Farweasel]

Are we interested in learning more? Is the Bear Catholic Stefan? You mention its ultralight rating ......... Ultralights can take off under their own power. I didn't suppose the Birdy could do that - It looks like the prop would hit the ground?

[@SteFly]

The Birdy is able to self launch!

[@Farweasel]

@@SteFly This just gets better & more tempting with each piece of further information.

[@julesviolin]

Not sure about that huge shaft sticking out the rear. Looks crazy even without the prop.

[@toadamine]

2:06 someones carbon fiber Top Hat on the wing? lol

[@samuelharris6591]

Using the reverse thrust from the motor instead of airbrakes is a good weight saving idea, but what if you run out of battery?

[@BruceHoult]

If it has a variable pitch prop (even two positions, which isn't too hard) then you could charge the battery. It would even be a very interesting idea in racing (if made legal) or certainly for just fun flying to charge the battery in a thermal or ridge/wave and then use that to extend the glide. Two hours level cruise at presumably about 100 km/h would be amazing for getting between lift sources. When would you ever actually need that much?

[@lesizmor9079]

Samuel, realize that what you're asking is "what happens if you don't pay attention to your flight?" There are many ways to screw up a flight, and they have consequences. You're looking to fly a plane without paying attention to how much "fuel' is onboard? Remind me to not fly with you.

[@samuelharris6591]

@@lesizmor9079plenty of case studies showing experienced pilots making basic mistakes. Or defects which cause you further issues. I’m just asking what is the back up if you have no battery left? Surely the manufacturer has thought of an alternative?

[@samuelharris6591]

@@lesizmor9079 remind me not to fly with you if your arrogance thinks you cannot make a mistake

[@luciddreams1623]

Well if this thing thermals well at say 90kmh, has a L/D ~37, then heck, I want one. The instrument panel can be pimped accordingly. I do wonder how I , and it, will cope with turbulence, I see myself getting inverted unwillingly at 5m/s thermals. Those oopsy moments in an LS-4 might be o shit moments in a UL.

[@SteFly]

What I´ve heard, the thermal speed is much slower. About 70 kph or so

[@RallenBosessen]

@@SteFly What is the stall speed with wings level?

[@Johan-ex5yj]

That’s an interesting way to point out the difference in flying in turbulence with heavier/ lighter aircraft! In fact, I think a lot of Paraglider pilots (myself included) wants to upgrade to Sailplanes because they want to trade in the “Ooo Shit” moments with “Oopsy” moments. 😁👍

[@naseefaamindato4670]

thank you stefan i enjoy it

[@Taoweiji]

@Stefan Langer: I'm a new viewer and subscriber after just finding your channel. As an airline pilot by profession, I also fly helicopters, gyroplanes, paragliders, and other aircraft. This section of aviation is intriguing me more and more. Could you do a video, or series of videos about how to start gliding, what aircraft are good beginner gliders to purchase, weather conditions to be aware of for beginners, danger signs, how to switch your mindset from powered high-performance aircraft to gliders, and subjects of that nature? 😎👍

[@krusty1974]

Absolutely very interested.. would be nice to see you test flying it.

[@bevobus]

Not knowing the legalities in Europe, what is the driver for keeping it classified as an Ultralight? Also do you have any idea what their definition of "affordable" is?

[@SteFly]

Starting at about 60k € for the kit.