Innovations Day at EAA AirVenture 2024
Story and photos by Ken Kula
There was a mind-boggling amount of cutting-edge technology at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. While there’s no way we could show and tell about every example of new equipment and innovations, here are a dozen examples of what caught my attention.
Zipline is a proven autonomous, battery powered unmanned delivery vehicle. It was developed for the automatic delivery of critical medical supplies such as blood and snake bite antivenom in Africa, where roads are sometimes scarce or otherwise hazardous to use in a timely manner. The cargo pod with the pusher electric motor carries the payload and fits into the belly of the VTOL body. It then flies a pre-programmed route and arrives within a minute of a pre-arranged delivery time. The drone hovers and the payload is lowered by an on-board cable. After delivery, the payload pod is retracted, and the drone returns to another pre-determined place. The Zipline system has been in use since 2016 in Ruanda and 2019 in Ghana. With FAA approval, it is in use in Salt Lake City will soon expand to other major metropolitan areas around the world.
This long protruding pitot system is fitted onto a U. S. Air Force C-12C Huron (Beech Super King Air) and is one of only two examples in use. The position of the probe takes away friction heat and other fuselage-induced disturbed air caused by the airframe. This aircraft is assigned to the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, California; the Air Force Test Pilot School requested the modifications in 2020 to test the Enhanced Performance Increased Capability (EPIC) modification to the C-12C fleet.
Elixir Aircraft is based in France. Its Next Generation Elixir aircraft is built with the same carbon-fiber technology used in world-class competitive sailing. The twin-place trainer is equipped with a Rotax 912is engine and a BRS safety parachute. Already certified in Europe under European Aviation Safety Agency CS-23 standards, the company expects FAA certification soon. Over 330 examples have been ordered, including over 100 orders and pre-orders at AirVenture. A new manufacturing plant in France will open in 2026 while the new U. S. assembly plant in Sarasota, Florida is expected to open in 2025.
Boeing and the U. S. Air Force displayed the latest iteration of the F-15 Eagle fighter… the F-15EX. This is assigned to a test squadron at Eglin AFB in Florida.
Harbour Air displayed one of their newly re-engined DeHavilland Canada Beavers, known as the eBeaver. Gone is the large Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine that originally came in the production Beavers, and in is the magniX electric motor. The mass of the missing radial is offset by the mass of the internally mounted batteries. Harbour Air is a Vancouver British Columbia-based scheduled and charter carrier serving a dozen cities from the Vancouver Seaplane base and has undertaken the engineering and modification of their fleet of Beavers for a greener future. A second eBeaver was on display at the Seaplane Base.
This HondaJet HA-420 Elite II at AirVenture in 2024 is a company demonstrator aircraft. A unique style and design places the jet engines on top of the wing, not attached to the empennage of the airframe. The Very Light Jet (VLJ) has an advanced autothrottle recently certified by the FAA. The Honda Aircraft Company is headquartered at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro North Carolina.
Skyryse is a Southern California company which has created a digital fly-by-wire aircraft with a very different solution for taming the complexity of helicopter. The SkyOS hardware and software brings full control of a modified Robinson R66 turbine helicopter (called SkyRyse One) from just a joystick and a touch screen. That’s right, no collective, no pedals, cyclic nor throttle. The system is IFR capable, the helicopter can auto hover and auto rotate safely by itself. The company displays on their website that the SkyOS system can be installed on many helicopter and fixed wing aircraft models too, not just this initial Robinson fuselage. Deliveries of the SkyRyse One version begin in 2025.
Sling originally developed the Sling 2, a kit plane designed and produced in South Africa. The new Sling Aircraft TSi is a four-place single powered with a Rotax 916 iS engine with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control, giving a 153 knot cruise speed and a range of around 1,000 nautical miles. Earlier versions include a two-seat trainer and a Light Sport Aircraft version, with lesser performance and weight.
Wing Drone Delivery displayed one of their U. S.-based drone systems, currently in use in the Dallas/Fort Worth area delivering Walmart products from eleven bases around the metroplex. For this electric drone, a 12 mile round trip is possible carrying two and a half pounds… perfect for a quick delivery of an item or two. It is stable enough to bring a cup of coffee to a location, but also excels in delivering medical supplies in cities like London, England and Dublin, Ireland. In fact, Wing operates in 26 cities around the world.
This is the actual Boeing X-40A glider which was used for initial testing for the X-37B spaceplane. The X-37B is a U. S. Air Force orbital aircraft which is used for highly secretive missions above the earth, with long duration deployments in space of up to nine months. After testing the X-40A’s glide and sensor equipment, the airframe was retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
No, this isn’t an almost century-old Junkers A-50 Junior. The original was built in 1929 and set many international records. Today, the Junkers A50 Junior and A50 Heritage are modernized copies of the original. The Junior has a Rotax engine and a digital cockpit display, while this Heritage version retains a radial engine and classic round gauges. Both aircraft are considered LSAs. The factory in the U. S. is in Battle Creek Michigan, under an agreement with the WACO Aircraft Company.
This is a Midwest Ag Drones AGRAS T40 agricultural drone, demonstrating its air spraying capability during an afternoon air show over the Oshkosh airport. It is equipped with a phased array radar that assists with its fully autonomous operation. It can carry 10 and a half gallons of liquid and can apply it at a rate up to three gallons per minute.
