An ELAS equipped CubCrafters NX Cub prepares for initial flight testing. [Courtesy: CubCrafters]
Key Takeaways:
CubCrafters has introduced Electric Lift Augmenting Slats (ELAS), an innovative technology designed to dramatically increase wing lift by 1.5 to 4 times by combining electric ducted fans with leading-edge slats to accelerate airflow.
This patented system significantly enhances an aircraft's STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) characteristics, improves slow-speed handling, reduces stall speed, and allows for better performance at higher angles of attack.
Developed with support from NASA research grants, ELAS is currently in the final prototype design and testing phase, including collaboration with Oklahoma State University, with flight testing planned on a CubCrafters XCub.
CubCrafters, the Yakima-based aircraft manufacturer famous for its backcountry designs, has entered the electric aircraft race.
The company has introduced a new engineering innovation called Electric Lift Augmenting Slats (ELAS), which it says will dramatically increase wing lift, perhaps as much as four times the lift as a non-equipped wing of the same design can generate.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
