"We can be the first to have a Swedish‑built electrified school trailer in the air"
The Green Wing project, whose goal was to develop a new energy-efficient wing for electric aircraft, was a success. The test flights show that the wing is more efficient than the researchers had hoped for.
Now they are entering phase two, and hope to build their own aircraft.
"This is great fun, of course. Above all, this is a development that we must embrace. We went into this with the idea that we have the capacity to contribute to a green transition and now we have shown that we have done so," says Mikael Bäckström, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Mid Sweden University's Sports Techs Research Centre.
Green Wing started as a collaborative project between Mid Sweden University, Östersund Municipality, Blackwing and the larger project Green Flyway two years ago and ended at the end of April. Under Mikael Bäckström's leadership at the Sports Tech Research Centre and through the company Blackwing, a carbon fibre wing was developed and mounted on a small sports aircraft. The wing was equipped with 31 sensors that have measured everything from vibrations to air resistance and pressure during the test flights. The test aircraft is powered by an internal combustion engine. Even now, before all the data has been analyzed, it turns out that the aircraft is more energy efficient than expected.
"We currently fly for about six litres of jet fuel per hour, usually an aircraft of the same size consumes about 30 litres of jet fuel per hour," says Mikael Bäckström.
With such low fuel consumption, electrification is within reach, he says. Translated into "electric language", the aircraft can fly for two hours at 15 kWh with a battery of 150–160 kilograms. Now the project participants are hoping for funding that will allow them to build their very own small electric aircraft.
"If we get the money, we can build the aircraft within a year, then we can be the first to have a Swedish-built electrified school trailer in the air," says Mikael Bäckström and clarifies:
"We are not competing with commercial aviation, this is a two-seater trainer aircraft."
The project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency within the framework of Fossil Free Aviation 2045. The project also included participants from the County Administrative Board of Jämtland County.
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