Green Flight Challenge
The Green Flight Challenge is a competition sponsored by NASA and hosted by the CAFE Foundation which promotes more environmentally friendly means for aircraft transportation. There are many strict contest requirements that must all be followed in order to potentially win the largest prize for general aviation handed out by NASA, $1.5 Million. The main requirements state that an aircraft must fly 200 miles, fly at least 100 mph on average, and obtain at least 200 passenger-mpg. This contest is currently among 9 different teams and will take place in July of 2011 in Santa Rosa California. In order to meet competition requirements, a Stemme S10 motor-glider will be modified to include a hybrid gas/electric system. In order to win another $150,000, the team plans on using a bio-fuel made by Swift Enterprises, the same fuel used in the Green Fleet Project. Nearly 100 students lead and work on the project and are supervised by at least 10 professors. These students perform various tasks including load analysis and design work, machining parts, and flight testing. With dedication, ingenuity, and creativity, this project will be successful whether the team wins the prize money or not.
This project is made possible through the generous donations of many sponsors. For more information, please visit the project's website.
