the electric airplane

Six or seven years ago, EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) chapter 406 members Mike Friend and Joel Mapes had an idea. Why not go beyond the traditional EAA Young Eagles introductory flights, and start a program to engage young (and old) people in the design and construction of new technology airplanes? Thus began BACE, a project to create a home base for aviation education.

The idea resonated with the Port of Bremerton commissioners, and an agreement was signed allowing use of the old airport firehouse as a workshop and learning center. At the time it was an old dingy storage building full of airport maintenance equipment. Several months and hundreds of hours of labor later, EAA 406 had a bright shiny workshop, complete with a flight simulator donated by a local pilot.

For a first project, BACE decided to build a clone of Gabe DeVault’s two seat electric Xenos. Mike Friend had occasion to fly Gabe’s prototype several times while visiting Hollister in the Bay area and found it to be a joy to fly.

It easily handles two large people in the cockpit, and the only special consideration required is to keep an eye on the motor temperature gauge on a warm day, and to fly efficiently to maximize the flying time. With a 14.4 kW-hr capacity battery pack, the eXenos is capable of a 45–60-minute flight, and the prototype has completed flight of over two hours utilizing modest wintertime lift around Hollister.

The two seat design of the Xenos will enable BACE to check out members in the completed aircraft and to eventually give electric Young Eagles introductory flights. A third benefit became clear when the group found a Xenos kit for sale for a very reasonable price, including a large trove of necessary AN hardware that is not included in the kit. As the kit was being purchased, hydrogen fuel cell pioneer ZeroAvia kindly donated the Zero motorcycle based electric propulsion system from Flit LLC needed to power the Xenos.

Kit delivered, BACE members have been meeting every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning since February 2022 fabricating and riveting together the tail and fuselage pieces. They have recruited several aviation-minded youngsters to come join us and learn a new skill set. If they keep at it until they turn 14, they may very well start giving them flight instruction in the airplane they helped to build.

SAT, FEB 25 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

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The Xenos is a kit built motorglider from Sonex in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Normally powered by either a Volkswagen derived aero engine or the Australian Jabiru four or six cylinder engine, the Xenos is an all aluminum side by side two seater with gliding performance in the class of a Schweizer 2-33. In other words, a nice gentle airplane capable of staying aloft in fairly strong thermal conditions. The kit supplied by Sonex has pre-punched holes in all the skins, simplifying the build process. However, unlike some of the more popular kits, no instruction manual is included, just a set of very complete drawings. So, a fair amount of time is spent staring at the plans wondering how to proceed.

The operation of BACE and the eXenos is set to become carbon-neutral with the installation of a roof mounted solar power installation. The power generated by this solar array will offset the electrical power used in the workshops as well as recharging the eXenos between flights. The Port of Bremerton has recently installed 220 volt power outlets on the ramp at KPWT, creating the state’s first public electric airplane charging station!

The BACE Project will be on display at the 2023 NW Aviation Conference and Trade Show, February 25-26 in Puyallup. Stop by and learn how you can join in on creating this new and exciting way of flying!