CubCrafters is testing a new engineering innovation, called\nElectric Lift Augmenting Slats [ELAS], that the company conceived to\ndramatically increase wing lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognizing the potentially broad application for this new\nELAS technology, NASA awarded CubCrafters two research grants (through the\nSBIR\/STTR program) to partially fund the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ELAS, which was granted US Patent 10,926,868, underscores\nCubCrafters\u2019 four decades of commitment to engineering innovation for the\naviation industry. The technology combines electric ducted fans with leading\nedge lifting slats, to accelerate airflow over the wing of an aircraft. Ongoing\ntesting points to a likelihood for significant reductions in takeoff and\nlanding distances on fixed-wing aircraft with ELAS installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By increasing the velocity of the airflow over the top\nsurface of a wing, ELAS lowers the air pressure above the wing, thereby\nincreasing the lift it can generate. The system also allows the wing to achieve\nbetter aerodynamic performance at slower speeds and higher angles of attack,\nreducing the stall speed of the aircraft and improving its slow speed handling\ncharacteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ELAS is a practical way to enable fixed-wing aircraft to\nachieve shorter takeoff distances, steeper approaches, slower landing speeds,\nand minimal ground roll. By adding leading edge slats with multiple integrated\nelectric ducted fans, ELAS creates high energy airflow through and around the\nslats — airflow that ultimately boosts lift by a factor of 1.5 to 4.0\ndepending on the airfoil geometry and flight conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrick Horgan, CEO of CubCrafters explains, \u201cWith\ncomparatively low acquisition and operational costs, ELAS is a disruptive\nconcept that carries unprecedented benefits, including enabling fixed-wing\naircraft to operate outside of designated airports and manage much higher\npayloads versus comparable eVTOL aircraft — all while enhancing safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technology can be added to an existing airframe or built\ninto the wings as original equipment, and can be designed as retractable when\nnot in use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company notes that ELAS is being rigorously tested in\ncollaboration with CubCrafters\u2019 research institution partner, Oklahoma State\nUniversity School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExtensive computer simulations and wind tunnel testing,\nboth at Oklahoma State University and our own facilities, are being used to\nrefine the design in preparation for a comprehensive test flight program using\na CubCrafters X-Cub test airplane configured with the ELAS prototype system,\u201d\ndeclared Horgan. A short video of recent ELAS preflight testing released by the\ncompany can be seen on YouTube at this link: https:\/\/youtu.be\/VY2KTmeF6D4<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n He continued, \u201cAs our research and development continues,\nELAS may prove to have the ability to dramatically enhance the short field\nperformance capabilities of fixed-wing aircraft in general Aviation as well as\nCommercial Aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CubCrafters is testing a new engineering innovation, called Electric Lift Augmenting Slats [ELAS], that the company conceived to dramatically increase wing lift. Recognizing the potentially broad application for this new ELAS technology, NASA awarded CubCrafters two research grants (through the SBIR\/STTR program) to partially fund the project. ELAS, which was granted US Patent 10,926,868, underscores […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,114],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-front-page-slider","category-international-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PRESS-RELEASE-Photo-CubCrafters-ELAS-System-6-7-23edit-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25846,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25844\/revisions\/25846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}