Yuneec is extremely proud to announce that it has been awarded First Place in its class – Transport – at the Brit Insurance Design Museum Awards.

The Transport section of the design awards featured major manufacturers and world class companies such as BMW, Honda and Nissan and it is a great honour for Yuneec to have been chosen for the 1st place from such esteemed  competition.

For Yuneec this is a huge compliment for its design team, engineers and staff all of whom have work relentlessly in the past year to develop the high class electric propulsion system and E430 aircraft. To go from drawings board to a flying aircraft in under 6 months was truly amazing.

This award demonstrates that Yuneec is truly at the forefront of environmentally friendly ‘Electric’ aviation.

With ‘six’ electric aircraft projects under development as well as other types of transport under consideration Yuneec truly believes that electric power is the future for personal transportation.

Yuneec International would like to sincerely thank Sebastian Conran for nominating Yuneec’s E430 and the Design Museum panel of experts for selecting Yuneec for this prestigious award.

Now in their third year, the Brit Insurance Designs Awards, "the Oscars of the design world," showcase the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world. (Courtesy of Time Out)

The awards are broken down into 7 categories – Architecture, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Interactive, Product and Transport – there is a winner for each of the seven categories and an overall winner for the Design of the year.

Yuneec is very proud to announce that its E430 Electric Aircraft has been selected to be one of the seven contenders in the transport category of 2010 Design Awards and is very honoured to be included alongside industry leaders such as BMW, Nissan and Honda. Please see the links below.

The Yuneec E430 electric aircraft was nominated by Sebastian Conran director of Sebastian Conran Associates focusing on product, branding and user experience design. (Courtesy of Design Museum)

The awards are being presented on Thursday evening 4th March 2010 on the BBC’s Culture show at 7pm.

Official web site:
DESIGN MUSEUM
Designs of the Year Awards 2010

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2010/brit-insurance-designs-of-the-year
http://www.designsoftheyear.com/page/7/
http://www.designsoftheyear.com/2010/02/14/yuneec-international-e430-electric-aircraft/

On the 28th and 29th of January the Yuneec E430 underwent a further series of test flights with top test pilot Dave Morss at the controls. Over the two days two E430’s were tested back to back - one with wing flaps and the other with airbrake's. Both aircraft performed faultlessly during the multiple ½ hour test sessions. After evaluation of the logged data and with pilot feedback from Dave Morss the E430 with the best around performance was the version with flaps.

To complete this part of the test programme the first passenger flights took place. The first person to fly was the E430 co-ordinator Creana Ke who has been working on the project from the very beginning. She was delighted to be the first ever passenger in an E430.

After Creana was Yuneec’s Chairman and founder Mr. Tian Yu who took to the skies for another 30+ minute flight. (See the Video of the 'take off and a low pass'.)

Following the test sessions one of the E430 aircraft is being prepared for shipping to Germany together with the first E-Spyder, where they will be displayed at Aero 2010 Friedrichshafen.

If you are interested in Electric Aviation come and see the E430 and E-Spyder on Stand 401 - Hall B4..

Saturday 10th of October 2009 saw the opening of Phase 1 of Yuneec’s new factory in Shanghai. This 25,000Sq. Mtr facility, with its own flying site, is the first in world to be dedicated solely to the production of electric aircraft.

Over 500 people attended the opening ceremony  including local government officials, members of the international press and other international guests.

Following the speeches and opening ceremony Yuneec displayed 5 different types of electric aircraft being developed or tested with electric power systems by Yuneec after which the world’s first ever fully electric flight show was held. During this show two of Yuneec’s E430, twin seat, electric aircraft flew in formation setting yet another world first and confirming Yuneec’s leading position in the world of electric flight.

Flying in the show among others were Dave Morss Yuneec’s American Test Pilot and Jean-Renaud Faliu in the E430’s, Tom Peghiny in an FlightStar E-Spyder and World Paramotor Champion Michel Carnet with E-PAC, Yuneec’s electric paramotor system. At the end of the Show JR Faliu made the first ever landing of a Yuneec e430 at the new facility.

On the 3rd Septembert, at Yuneec’s factory airfield outside Shanghai, Mr. Gerard Thevenot -  the now famous French hang glider pilot who earlier in August set a new record crossing the English Channel using a Hydrogen powered Hang glider– set yet another record using an ‘Electric’ hang glider.

Using one of his own hang glider trike designs, fitted with a new longer version of  the Yuneec Power Drive 10Kw motor system, Mr Thevenot flew for 1 hour 16 minutes setting a new ‘Electric, hang glider record.

This record flight took place after only a couple of test flights with the new Hang Glider and once again proved how reliable electric power can be.

Mr Thevenot hopes to increase this new record to 1.30 minutes early in October.

Keep watching this page for up to date news on Yuneec

See the video:
E-HangGlider Take Off:
E-HangGlider Landing:

http://www.yuneec.com/ftp/takeoff.AVI
http://www.yuneec.com/ftp/landing.AVI

The EAA AirVenture 2009 proved to be an outstanding success for Yuneec’s E430 electric LSA aircraft.

After all the difficulties of getting the E430 to the AirVenture show it was finally able to fly there twice and would have flown more if not for very windy conditions. Regardless of not being able to see it fly every day, the crowds at the Yuneec stand were able to see the video (above), filmed at Camarillo CA the week before from a helicopter. This was the last flight before the e430 was shipped to Oshkosh. The video clearly shows how stunning the E430 looks in the air and the outstanding future possibilities for electric powered aircraft.

Those visiting the Yuneec stand gave the E430 a resounding 'Yes' vote with many people saying they had been waiting for electric to become a reality and that an E430 would be their next aircraft.

The E430’s very positive advantages of……

• Simple to fly
• Quiet, smooth, vibration free power
• $2.50/Hr in operational electricity
• Low maintenance costs (only 2 bearings in the motor)
• No fuel, oil or residue
• Environmentally friendly

…..were clear for to all to see. The comment that the E430 was the beginning of a new ‘electric’ era in aviation was heard countless times by the Yuneec staff, as were the congratulations offered for being able to get the E430 to Oshkosh in time for Airventure.

Yuneec wish to thank everyone who has helped us along the way and a big thanks to the EAA for their help in making AirVenture 2009 such a huge success for the Yuneec E430.

More updates and photos will be posted shortly on our return from the USA.

Yuneec Electric E430 Outstanding Success at Oshkosh

We apologise for the delay in updating the Yuneec website but our stand at Oshkosh with the ‘ Electric’ E430 on display has been nonstop with people interested in
E430 and electric aviation. The Yuneec E430 is the talking point of Airventure 2009!

Prior to arriving in Oshkosh the Yuneec team left Camarillo on Wednesday 22nd July with the E430 having completed the 20 hours operational time required by the FAA. In fact the E430 did 21.9 hours, some 15 of these completed in a 3 day period , during which time the E430 was flown time after time. After each flight there was a 10~15 minute break for a battery change and system checks after which the E430 took to the air again. Its last flight was accompanied by a Jet ranger helicopter with a video camera on board and the video of this flight will be available shortly on You Tube and via a link on this site.

The E430 test programme demonstrated how reliable and feasible an electric aircraft can be, with the E430 flying faultlessly time after time.

Never before has an electric aircraft been flown so intensely over such a short space of time proving for the first time not only that electric is a viable power source for aircraft but that it is also extremely reliable.

On Wednesday evening, with its Experimental CofA documentation signed off, the E430 was loaded onto a truck and shipped to Oshkosh, where it arrived on Saturday Morning 26th July.

At Oshkosh the E430 was unloaded in a superb hanger loaned to us for the Oshkosh week. After assembly the E430 was taxied across to the Yuneec display stand where it has been on display since the beginning of Oshkosh last Monday.

On Wednesday the 29th the E430 had its 1st Oshkosh flight which proved a huge success with many people commenting how quiet the E430 was. Pilot Dave Morss demonstrated, even at this early stage, the E430’s docile characteristics landing in a 90° cross wind on a narrow taxiway which was designated as the receiving runway due to the high traffic into Oshkosh. Unable to fly yesterday due to heavy rain, the E430 will fly again today and Saturday morning and then in the main air show at 3.30pm.

The extremely high interest in the E430 and the Yuneec Power Drive systems during the first half of the Oshkosh show has kept the Yuneec team fully occupied and we are looking forward to welcoming people to the Yuneec stand over the next remaining days of the show.

A huge thank you, from Yuneec to the EAA who have not only put on a superb AirVenture but also for their supported in the development of Electric Aviation.

More updates to follow following the E430 flights over the next few days.

Exciting News – after a very demanding week for the Yuneec aircraft team we are extremely pleased to announce that the Yuneec E430 has been signed off and given its ‘Special Airworthiness Certificate’ allowing it to fly at AirVenture 2009 at Oshkosh.

Yuneec want to sincerely thank all those people who have been so supportive of the E430 project and without whose help we would not have been able to achieve our aim to fly at Oshkosh.

So in no particular order a big thanks goes out to;

• The whole crew at Avantair for allowing us to use their superb facilities, it could not have been more perfect.
• The team at EAA Chapter 723 who have made us feel so welcome and for whom nothing was too much trouble. A special thanks to Steve Kivo, who has been our mentor whilst at Camarillo, if we needed it, Steve arranged it or knew someone who could! – sorry we can’t make the airshow Steve – next year we hope!
• Keiko Brenneison, our DAR, firstly for being open minded with regard to electric flight and the E430 and then for sticking with it and continuing to support us when the going got tough.
• Ty Knutson, Clive Coote’s US business partner who has done so much behind the scenes to make sure all the paper work and registration ran smoothly, well as smoothly as was possible!!
• Everyone at CH Robinson, our freight company, who shipped the E430 into Camarillo with all that entailed, over came all the changes to schedules and are now delivering the E430 to Oshkosh.

And finally a HUGE thank you to a man without whom we could not have made it – Dave Morss, test pilot extraordinaire! - whose professionalism and skills, both in the air and on the ground have been pivotal to getting the E430 Special Airworthiness certificate.

Thank you all, it has been an experience!!!!

Finally the E430 was packed Wednesday night on to a truck which is now on its way to Oshkosh. It is expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday and we look forward to seeing everyone at Airventure. If you’re at the show please come and see us on stand 420/421 on the right of Aero Shell square or 934 in the Ultralight area.

Regards Yuneec

On the 19th July 2009 Yuneec International entered the record books with its, 2 seat ‘Electric’ aircraft. Following on from the E430 being given its Certificate of Airworthiness by the FAA the previous day Yuneec’s test pilot Dave Morss started the E430 test flight schedule.

Two flights totalling nearly 2 hours were completed successfully with a height of 3000+ feet being achieved after a climb out at 950ft per minute. Dave Morss put the
E430 through all the basic flight test manoeuvres and said he was very pleased with the way the E430 handled so much so that he really enjoyed the second flight. From today’s initial assessment the E430 has no vices, a soft stall and it seems that the glide ratio might be higher than expected with Dave reporting having to go round again to lose sufficient height to join the circuit, even turning off the motor and full airbrake were not enough!

Flight tests will continue for the next two days after which it is hoped that the DAR will sign off the E430 before it starts its long journey to the Oshkosh Airventure show on Tuesday.

Further E430 flight test updates will follow.

Stop Press: Yuneec’s Power Drive 20Kw (27Hp) Electric flight system also took the air in a FlightStar Spyder yesterday. Video of the flight can be seen but hardly heard at. . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1p_l3KeII

Yuneec’s E430 arrived in its container at the Avantair hanger in Camarillo, California on Thursday 16th July. After the wings and tail plane were attached  work began on fitting the instrument panel (ASI, transponder, radios etc.) including Yuneec’s new OEM power management system and data display. This new display, developed by Yuneec,  shows rpm, battery capacity, discharge rate, voltage, power output, motor/power controller temperatures and throttle percentage as well as monitoring the whole power system to ensure maximum efficiency.

Whilst all the installation work was taking place Yuneec’s management team and test pilot, Dave Morss, were deep in negotiation with the FAA and the appointed DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative), Keiko Brenneison, over the requirements for the E430’s airworthiness certification. Electric is a new era in aviation and naturally there are concerns over various aspects of electric power, such as batteries, which have to be looked into and regulated for but until those regulations are in place any electric aircraft need to address the current concerns the FAA have with electric power.

Working together with the DAR Yuneec demonstrated that the three years of research and development in battery and charger technology had addressed the FAA’s current concerns relating to Electric power and on the 8th of July the Yuneec E430 was given a ‘Certificate of Airworthiness’ allowing the start of E430 flight test programme on Sunday 19th July at Camarillo airport.

Yuneec would like to take this opportunity to thank all those whose assistance and enthusiasm has ensured that the E430 can start its flight test programme which, on completion over the next 4 days, will allow the E430 to be flown at Oshkosh were it will be the first ‘Electric’ 2 seat aircraft ever to fly there.

The 19th July 2009 flight tests will be a significant turning point in Aviation history as electric becomes a commercially viable power source for aircraft.

Further updates on the flights tests, together with photos, will be posted daily during the flight test programme so keep watching the web site for further news on this exciting project over the coming days

Yuneec are very pleased to announce that the next phase of testing will definitely take place between the 16th and 20th of July at Camarillo (KCMA) airport in California.

The EEA Chapter 723 team at Camarillo, Larry David and Steve Kivo, have been brilliant giving us lots of advice and also finding us hangar space for the E430.
This was not such an easy task as Camarillo are resurfacing several hangar aprons and so access has been limited making hangar space elsewhere on the airport very scarce! - Thanks guys for all your help.

The testing flying will be done by Dave Morss, a well known and extremely experienced test pilot who will also be the E430 demonstration pilot at Oshkosh.
Dave has give us lots of positive feedback and suggestions we look forward to seeing him at Camarillo in 10 days time.

Yuneec also have to also give a very big thanks to the FAA team at Van Huys, Chris Bergen and Steve Buczynski. Yuneec would not be where we are now with the test flight arrangements without their advice, support and enthusiasm for this new venture into electric flight.

The Yuneec team look forward to seeing everyone at KCMA and we welcome anyone interested in electric flight to come and have a look or watch the test flying.

Further news updates and photos will be posted once the action starts.

Best Regards
Yuneec International

On Saturday June 20th at an Airfield North of Shanghai the Yuneec International E430 Electric aircraft took to the air for its second phase of test flights.

The E430 had 2 flights of around 15 minutes and did a series of basic test manoeuvres, a maximum height of 300m (975ft) was reached during the flights.

Take off was full power with the E430 lifting after around 80m at 65 Km/h. A climb rate of 7m/s was achieved during the second flight and the optimised level flying speed was 90km/h. Top speed achieved in level flight was 150km/hr and a low pass was done at full power to evaluate the noise.

Yuneec’s company test pilot, Sun Xun (3,600hrs), was delighted with the way the E430 handled but commented that for him the most surprising feature is how quiet and smooth it is, even at full power during the low pass.

The E430 will now be shipped to the USA for test flying in the USA prior to its first public display on the Yuneec stand at the EAA AirVenture 2009 at Oshkosh.

See the video:
E430 test Flights online wmv: