Electric Airplanes and Drones - A History

Attempts at electric powered flight date to well before the 19th century. Battery weight and low energy output made it impractical until the 1990s, when the advent of lightweight materials, more efficient solar power, improved engines and the Li-Po (lithium polymer) battery opened the skies to a wide variety of electric aircraft.
The author describes the diverse designs of modern electric flying machines--from tiny insect-styled drones to stratospheric airships--and explores developing trends, including flying cars and passenger airliners.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Ivo Boscarol

Preface

One Origins

Two If It Flies, It Must Be Electric!

Three Electricity Goes to War

Four The Aeromodelers

Five "Here Comes the Sun"

Six The Lithium Advantage

Seven "H" Is for Hybrid, Hydrogen, Helium

Eight Towards Commercialization

Nine UAVs (Generation Gas)

Ten UAVs (aka Drones) Go Electric

Eleven Dronomania!

Twelve Flying Cars

Thirteen Into the Future

Appendix A. The Birth of Drone Racing

Appendix B. The Adventure of Solar Impulse

Appendix C. Speed and Altitude Records

Appendix D. Timeline of Notable Electric Aircraft Flights

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Kevin Desmond, a technology historian and biographer, lives near Bordeaux in southern France. Since 1976, he has published 33 books and 300-plus articles on the men and women innovators, often forgotten, behind the progress of transport and related subjects.

Product details

• Authors: Kevin Desmond, Desmond Kevin
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.10.2018
• EAN: 9781476669618
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-6961-8
• No. of pages: 314
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 16 mm
• Weight: 549 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Guides > Motor vehicles, aircraft, ships, space travel > General, dictionaries, handbooks; TRANSPORTATION / Aviation / History, Aircraft and aviation, Aircraft: general interest, electric auto