[roktay]

Hello Lightning Owners,

I am a student at Lafayette College and in coordination with the Office of the President I am planning the first electric plane flyover of a sporting event at the Lafayette-Lehigh football game on November 19th, 2022. The plane that we will be using is based in Hartford, Connecticut and to get it to Easton, Pennsylvania, it will need to stop to recharge 3 times.

There is currently no charging infrastructure at these airports but since the plane charger can take 240v 30A AC input, we realized we could use a F150 lightning as a chase truck to recharge it from the outlet in the bed of the truck. The plane is a Pipistrel Alpha Electro.

We are working with corporate contacts at Ford headquarters to see how they could provide vehicles for getting the plane to PA in November, but we need to run through the charging operation next week to gather charge time data to build out the logistics plan. We are planning to do this on Wednesday Oct 5th at the Hartford-Brainard airport, and are hoping to connect with a Lightning owner in the area who might be interested in helping with this project. This run through will only work with a Lightning that has the 9.6 kW Pro Power package.

Thank you for your willingness to consider this opportunity.

If you are interested, please PM me.

If you would like to learn more about me and the projects I have previously done as a student at Lafayette College you can find me on LinkedIn.

Thanks,
Remy Oktay

PS my apologies if this is not the appropriate page to post such inquires to.

 

[Leaf to Lightning : )]

I think there are some questions to answer:

If the plane would need to charge at least 3 times along the way, how MUCH kwh power would it need each time, which also leads to how LONG it would need to charge on this 240v 30amp output?

How FAR can the plane fly before needing to charge?

And just as important, WHERE and how OFTEN would the Lightning then ALSO need to charge, to maintain it's own POWER, providing power to the Plane along the way, and to arrive at the destination?

What number of MILES are between the start and the destination?

 

[MicheleFrankie]

Perhaps you would need a team of Lightning owners. If my Lightning arrives in time, I’d love to be a part of this. I live north of Hartford, but would be willing to travel. Where are you planning your first stop?

 

[roktay]

I think there are some questions to answer:

If the plane would need to charge at least 3 times along the way, how MUCH kwh power would it need each time, which also leads to how LONG it would need to charge on this 240v 30amp output?

How FAR can the plane fly before needing to charge?

And just as important, WHERE and how OFTEN would the Lightning then ALSO need to charge, to maintain it's own POWER, providing power to the Plane along the way, and to arrive at the destination?

What number of MILES are between the start and the destination?

Thank you Leaf to Lightning for your reply!

To answer your questions in sequence:

The plane battery is 21kWh and per FAA regulations we have to land with a 30 minute reserve, leaving us 60 minutes usable flying time going at 85kn. We need to leave enough buffer space so should we need to divert to another nearby airport, we can do so. We are estimating each recharge to be about 10kWh draw from the Lightning.

We will be charging the plane to 100% before each flight, unlike what I typically do with my Nissan Leaf only charging to 80% to preserve the battery, but this is just a safety precaution since we'll be airborne. We need to test the F150's ability to provide the full 7.2kW in order to determine if that value needs to be derated and adjusted charge times taken into account.

This is what we are hoping to accomplish on October 5th this coming Wednesday.

Everything is wind dependent for flying of course but with winds clam, the plane can legally fly 75nm (extra power needed for climb to altitude, so not just 60min X 85kn), we are aiming to keep flight legs below 45nm in case of the need to divert (deer on runway, runway closure, excessive winds upon arrival etc.)

If all goes well with charge time testing on Wednesday, we'll be finalizing the list of airport stops in the coming week. Total milage is right around 250 miles so with an ER Lightning we would only need to recharge it once. There are many DC fast chargers throughout the route for the truck to use.

We have requested 2 trucks from Ford so that when transporting the plane each truck will go to every other airport, leap frogging one another, allowing time for truck recharging and for there to be a truck waiting for the plane at each stop since the plane will fly must faster than the trucks can drive to each airport.

Hope this answers your questions.



The immediate need is for a Lightning owner in the CT area to meet up with us at the Hartford airport on Wednesday Oct 5th in the early afternoon to do this initial testing.

If someone also wants to help with the trip in November, that would be great, but this initial testing is key for us.

If you know of anyone in the CT area with a Lightning that you could connect me with, or if you would recommend any thread on this forum or other online platform to connect with people, that would great. Hoping that this can all come together soon.

Thanks,
Remy

 

[roktay]

Perhaps you would need a team of Lightning owners. If my Lightning arrives in time, I’d love to be a part of this. I live north of Hartford, but would be willing to travel. Where are you planning your first stop?

Thank you Michele Frankie for your reply.

Yes, we are asking Ford for 2 trucks to do the trip, but we would love to have private owners involved as well if they are interested! A whole caravan of Lightings if you will. We have a few folks here at Lafayette with Model S Tesla's who have volunteered to act as support vehicles to each of the trucks during the trip, but if there were just more Lightnings instead, that would be even better.

First stop will most likely be in Oxford, CT based on airport spacing but we are still finalizing the recharging location plan.

Do you know anyone near to you in CT with a 9.6kW Pro Power Lightning who might be able to help out on Wednesday Oct 5th?

Keep me posted on when your Lightning comes in!

Thanks,
Remy

 

[MicheleFrankie]

Thank you Michele Frankie for your reply.

Yes, we are asking Ford for 2 trucks to do the trip, but we would love to have private owners involved as well if they are interested! A whole caravan of Lightings if you will. We have a few folks here at Lafayette with Model S Tesla's who have volunteered to act as support vehicles to each of the trucks during the trip, but if there were just more Lightnings instead, that would be even better.

First stop will most likely be in Oxford, CT based on airport spacing but we are still finalizing the recharging location plan.

Do you know anyone near to you in CT with a 9.6kW Pro Power Lightning who might be able to help out on Wednesday Oct 5th?

Keep me posted on when your Lightning comes in!

Thanks,
Remy

From what airport in Hartford will you be departing, Brainard? My sales territory includes Oxford, as a matter of fact, I go right by it on my way to the power plant in Oxford. My truck is due in this week. I hope it’s here in time as I’d love to be part of this journey. Either way, best of luck!

 

[roktay]

From what airport in Hartford will you be departing, Brainard? My sales territory includes Oxford, as a matter of fact, I go right by it on my way to the power plant in Oxford. My truck is due in this week. I hope it’s here in time as I’d love to be part of this journey. Either way, best of luck!

Yes, Brained Airport KHFD. You're in the perfect spot then. When you say sales territory, do you work for a Ford dealership or are you in sales in another industry?

That's very exciting, definitely keep me posted. Based on the whole teams schedule the only day we have to do the testing is Wednesday afternoon so I'll be flying out from Easton, PA in my Cessna 182 to meet with the team at Brainard. If your truck is here in time, please send me a direct message and we can connect over the phone.

Best,
Remy

 

[MicheleFrankie]

Yes, Brained Airport KHFD. You're in the perfect spot then. When you say sales territory, do you work for a Ford dealership or are you in sales in another industry?

That's very exciting, definitely keep me posted. Based on the whole teams schedule the only day we have to do the testing is Wednesday afternoon so I'll be flying out from Easton, PA in my Cessna 182 to meet with the team at Brainard. If your truck is here in time, please send me a direct message and we can connect over the phone.

Best,
Remy

I sell in a different industry. I will message you if my truck is here in time. Good luck with this exciting project.

 

[roktay]

I sell in a different industry. I will message you if my truck is here in time. Good luck with this exciting project.

Thanks Michele! And even if its not here in time for Wednesday, let's connect in November when we are doing the full trip.

 

[Leaf to Lightning : )]

With my Lightning PRO with Standard Range battery and 9.6kw ProPower onboard, my son and I would certainly entertain the idea, as he(22) is in Aerospace Engineering at the University Of Alabama in Huntsville, AL and also has his student pilot license, and OWNS a 2014 Nissan Leaf, himself.
It would be quite a drive for us to be involved, but it sure is an exciting thought.

I have used the ProPower extensively with my Camper, WHILE towing, and even with my mini-fridge in the passenger seat area, when not towing, AND also as my 240v 'whole house' backup power supply to my main power panel.

 

[roktay]

With my Lightning PRO with Standard Range battery and 9.6kw ProPower onboard, my son and I would certainly entertain the idea, as he(22) is in Aerospace Engineering at the University Of Alabama in Huntsville, AL and also has his student pilot license, and OWNS a 2014 Nissan Leaf, himself.
It would be quite a drive for us to be involved, but it sure is an exciting thought.

I have used the ProPower extensively with my Camper, WHILE towing, and even with my mini-fridge in the passenger seat area, when not towing, AND also as my 240v 'whole house' backup power supply to my main power panel.

Sounds like your son and I have very similar interests, how exciting! Even though testing on Wednesday with your truck is out of the question since you're in Georgia, I'll definitely keep you posted on the flyover in case you are interested in joining in November!

 

[RDale]

Hello Lightning Owners,

I am a student at Lafayette College and in coordination with the Office of the President I am planning the first electric plane flyover of a sporting event at the Lafayette-Lehigh football game on November 19th, 2022. The plane that we will be using is based in Hartford, Connecticut and to get it to Easton, Pennsylvania, it will need to stop to recharge 3 times.

There is currently no charging infrastructure at these airports but since the plane charger can take 240v 30A AC input, we realized we could use a F150 lightning as a chase truck to recharge it from the outlet in the bed of the truck. The plane is a Pipistrel Alpha Electro.

We are working with corporate contacts at Ford headquarters to see how they could provide vehicles for getting the plane to PA in November, but we need to run through the charging operation next week to gather charge time data to build out the logistics plan. We are planning to do this on Wednesday Oct 5th at the Hartford-Brainard airport, and are hoping to connect with a Lightning owner in the area who might be interested in helping with this project. This run through will only work with a Lightning that has the 9.6 kW Pro Power package.

Thank you for your willingness to consider this opportunity.

If you are interested, please PM me.

If you would like to learn more about me and the projects I have previously done as a student at Lafayette College you can find me on LinkedIn.

Thanks,
Remy Oktay

PS my apologies if this is not the appropriate page to post such inquires to.

Really impressive that you're getting Ford involved with the project! Are there any images you can share of the plane? I'm curious to see how big it is.

 

[roktay]

Really impressive that you're getting Ford involved with the project! Are there any images you can share of the plane? I'm curious to see how big it is.

Yes, it's quite exciting, I can't wait for it to all come together!

The plane is a Pipistrel Alpha Electro 2 seater (pictured below).

 

[RDale]

Yes, it's quite exciting, I can't wait for it to all come together!

The plane is a Pipistrel Alpha Electro 2 seater (pictured below). View attachment 4453

Nice looking plane, very cool! I look forward to hearing more updates from you on the project. Keep it up!

 

[roktay]

Nice looking plane, very cool! I look forward to hearing more updates from you on the project. Keep it up!

Will do! Cheers

 

[Lucky]

Maybe you could find a Ford dealership in the area that has a demo truck that they would let you take for the test on the 5th.

 

[roktay]

Hello all,

I first want to thank those of you who responded to my initial message. I also wanted to give everyone an update on the electric airplane flyover.

We successfully charged the electric airplane with two seperate Lightnings (pictured below), thanks to Mel, a local Hartford Lightning owner, and Monaco Ford. Having tested the charging process numerous times on two separate vehicles, we are confident in the reliability of this charging method.

We received a letter from Bill Ford, The Chairman of Ford Motor Company, in response to our request for two trucks to be loaned for all the events associated with this flyover. Unfortunately they do not have trucks available for the timeframe we require. However, we are discussing with them the marketing and media coverage of the event and hope they will be able to participate in that aspect of the project.

After I sent the initial forum message 10 days ago I received numerous responses from interested Lightning owners and am hopeful that we can put together a team to do the trip from Hartford, CT to Easton, PA and back with privately owned Lightnings.

The journey from CT to PA will be covered by aerial and ground based film crews to create a short documentary on this first-ever EV recharged electric plane flight, and first-ever electric plane sporting event flyover.

We will need two Lightnings for recharging the plane, each stopping at two of the four airports, because the plane will fly faster than a truck can drive. The hope is for each recharging truck to have a support/filming truck that will carry the film crew and allow people to go get meals while the charging truck is recharging the plane. In total, we are looking for 4 Lightning owners to help.

Weather permitting, this trip will take place on Saturday, November 12th, 2022 and will take the entire day. The return trip is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022. Please let us know if you are able to help on the 12th and/or the 22nd.

If you are interested in helping showcase the electrified future and would like to learn more, please direct message me so I can share my phone number and we can speak on the phone.

Cheers to such a great community!

Sincerely,
Remy Oktay and team

 

[ChasingCoral]

This is an awesome dual use of BEV technologies. Best of luck to your team!

 

[antimatterparticle]

If you stop here I can help:

FAA Identifier:​	N07
Lat/Long:​	40-56-51.4610N 074-18-52.2400W 40-56.857683N 074-18.870667W 40.9476281,-74.3145111 (estimated)
Elevation:​	181 ft. / 55.2 m (surveyed)
Variation:​	13W (1995)
From city:​	2 miles N of LINCOLN PARK, NJ
Time zone:​	UTC -4 (UTC -5 during Standard Time)
Zip code:​	07035

 

[roktay]

This is an awesome dual use of BEV technologies. Best of luck to your team!

Thanks! More updates to come!