. Under bright sunny skies, the first flight demonstrations consisted of a noise and takeoff test. In order to pass this hurdle, the airplanes must be able to take off and clear a measured 50 foot tall obstacle within 2000 feet while producing no more than 78 decibels of noise. While the takeoff distance should be no issue, the noise might be. Many assume that an electric aircraft would be nearly silent, but such is not always the case. There may be little engine noise but the propeller tips make the same type of noise as we are used to in gasoline powered aircraft. As the technology of electric flight matures, more attention to detailed prop design will be required. Having said that, all four aircraft passed the test. The clear winner was the Stuttgart E-Genius, its Sineton electric motor producing enough thrust to clear the 50 foot barrier (just) while producing close to 4 dB less noise than the next nearest competitor. The hushed whir was an impressive counterpoint to the snarl produced by other conventional aircraft operating from the Santa Rosa airport.  The Pipistrel G4 was also quiet, but the 150 kW motor and very large laminated prop produced a more pronounced hum than the nearly silent E-Genius.(photos

The racers were flagged off from Runway 19 shortly after 10 in the morning, departing at 10 minute intervals. Team E-Genius went first, taking off with less than full power to conserve every watt of energy. The Pipistrel G4 went next, lumbering down the runway looking like something from a science fiction movie. The two pilots were in the right hand fuselage, and cement sacks to simulate the weight of two passengers was strapped in the left side cockpit.  The Phoenix went last. As the flight progressed it began to look like a 2 horse race, with E-Genius and Pipistrel circling around the turnpoints in tandem. A check with the Pipistrel flight planning team showed that half way through the race they were within .01 kilowatt-hour of what had been planned for energy consumption up to that point. The Pipistrel flight plan was for 1 hour 41 minutes and 14 seconds, a time that would leave about a four percent margin over the required 100 miles per hour average speed.  The E-Genius team crossed the finish line first, an hour and 51 minutes after the green flag dropped. Shortly after, the Pipistrel crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 1 hour 41 minutes and 41 seconds, only 27 seconds more than the computer flight plan predicted! Jack Langellan of Penn State University was providing the very precise flight planning and weather analysis support that typified the complete and professional approach of the Pipistrel team to this challenge. Although the GFC organization will withhold the final results until the final dinner banquet, it appears as though both Pipistrel and E-Genius have met the contest targets for energy used and speed with a small margin. The Phoenix lagged all of the way around the course and appeared to have made an extra lap, landing long after the other two competitors.