An ELAS equipped CubCrafters NX Cub prepares for initial flight testing. [Courtesy: CubCrafters]
Key Takeaways:
CubCrafters has introduced Electric Lift Augmenting Slats (ELAS), an innovation designed to dramatically increase wing lift for aircraft.
ELAS combines electric ducted fans with leading-edge lifting slats to accelerate airflow over the wing, potentially boosting lift by 1.5 to 4 times.
This technology is intended to enhance Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) characteristics, improve slow-speed handling, reduce stall speed, and shorten takeoff distances.
Currently in the final prototype design phase and undergoing testing with Oklahoma State University, ELAS development has been supported by NASA research grants.
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.
