Pipistrel is the winner of the Lindbergh Prize for best electric aircraft! - Pipistrel je osvojil Lindberghovo nagrado za najboljše električno letalo!

In the best electric airplane category, there were several noteworthy candidates. It was very difficult to determine a winner, says the LEAP award website, as all of the finalists have done a great job creating the new world of electric flight. The finalists were:
• The Hugues Duval Electric Cri-Cri with power by Electravia.
• The Pipistrel Taurus Electro
• The Sunseeker II solar airplane by Eric Raymond

We are overjoyed to report that the final winner is the Pipistrel Taurus Electro!

The LEAP website arguments the choice with the following words:
"The Pipistrel Taurus Electro was chosen because it has a professionally engineered “plug and play” electric power system which is available for commercial sale to other airplane makers, and because it includes a completely integrated “solar trailer” that allows the airplane to operate independently of the commercial power grid.  The integration and safety features are excellent and can serve as a model for industry standards for electric aircraft."

Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel CEO received the award from the hands of Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of the legendary aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic. In his speech, Lindbergh pointed out that his grandfather changed the opinion of the people of his time, who were convinced that flying is just a dangerous hobby for mad adventurists. From that history-changing flight onwards, flying became an interest of the wider public – the passengers. With his achievement, Charles Lindbergh set the foundation for commercial flight.
In the same way, Pipistrel is changing the electric aviation today. People used to think that electric aircraft, while conceptually possible, were just expensive toys for environmentalist pilots, until Pipistrel introduced the Taurus Electro, the first commercially available electric 2-seat aircraft in serial production. By offering it at the same price and with same performance as its petrol-engine counterpart, Pipistrel started a revolution in the way of thinking about the electric aviation, making it tantamount to the petrol-powered flight.

Pipistrel team would like to thank all the organizers ad the jury of the Lindbergh Electric Aircaft Prize for the great honour and recognition.

Finalisti so bili:
• Hugues Duval Electric Cri-Cri with power podjetja Electravia.
• Pipistrel Taurus Electro
• Sunseeker II solar airplane avtorja Erica Raymonda

Z veseljem lahko sporočimo da je zmagovalec kategorije naše letalo Pipistrel Taurus Electro!

Spletna stran LEAP website argumentira svoj izbor s sledečimi besedami:
"Pipistrelov Taurus Electro je bil izbran zato, ker ima profesionalen “plug and play” električni pogonski sistem, ki je na voljo tudi na komercialno prodajo in vgradnjo v letala drugih proizvajalcev; pa tudi zato ker nudi popolnoma integrirani "Solar trailer" (Sončno prikolico) ki omogoča letalu, da funkcionira neodvisno od javnega električnega omrežja.  Integracija in varnostne karakteristike so odlične in lahko služijo za zgled standardom industrije električnih letal.

Ivo Boscarol, direktor podjetja Pipistrel, je sprejel nagrado iz rok Erika Lindbergha, vnuka legendarnega letalskega pionirja Charlesa Lindbergha, prvega človeka ki je preletel Atlantski ocean.
V svojem govoru je Lindbergh poudaril, da je njegov ded s svojim podvigom spremenil mišljenje ljudi češ da je letenje samo nevaren hobi malce premaknjenih pustolovcev. Po njegovem dosežku so se začeli za letenje zanimati tudi navadni ljudje in sicer kot potniki. Tako je postavil osnove potniškemu letalskemu prometu.
Podobno se dogaja sedaj s Pipistrelovim konceptom električnega letala. Do letal 2007 so ljudje mislili, da je električno letenje konceptualno sicer možno, a le kot draga igračka, namenjena pilotom-privržencem okolju prijaznega letelnja. Po tem, ko je pipistrel po isti ceni predstavil prvo serijsko izdelano in komercialno dobavljivo dvosedežno električno letalo, ki je imelo enake zmogljivosti kot letalo na bencinki pogon, pa se situacija na področju letalstva spreminja in električno letalsto postaja enakovredno letalstvu ki za pogon uporablja fosilna goriva. 

Ponosni smo da je naš koncept "letenja zastonj", kombinacije  letala Taurus Electro  s sončno prikolico Solar Trailer prepričal žirijo in si pridobil prepoznavnost in priznanje v svetu električnega letalstva ter potrdil našo vodilno vlogo na področju razvoja okolju-prijaznih letal! Letenje popolnoma zastonj in brez emisij CO2 je mogoče in naš koncept Električnega letala v povezavi s prikolico s polnilnimi sončnimi celicami je to dokazal!

Poleg Pipistrela je nagrado prejel še en Slovenec, in sicer Luka Žnidaršič s svojim LZ Design FES system, ki je postal zmagovalec kategorije za najboljši električni pogonski sistem (LEAP Aero 2011 Best Electric Propulsion).

Ekipa Pipistrel se najlepše zahvaljuje vsem organizatorjem in žiriji izbora Lindbergh Electric Aircaft Prize za izkazano čast.

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