CAFE Foundation

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The CAFE Foundation is a U.S. non-profit aviation development and flight test organization based in Windsor, California. CAFE was an acronym for"Competition in Aircraft Flight Efficiency" and became later "Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency." The organization promotes experimental aviation activities which promote the development of highly efficient aircraft. It is sponsored by many organizations including Boeing Phantom Works, NASA, EAA, AOPA, Glasair Aviation, among others; and funding is also obtained through an FAA grant. [1]

Contents

CAFE 400

The CAFE Foundation is an outgrowth from activities sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 124 in Santa Rosa, California. In the late 1970s, races were held at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in which the goal was to fly the most fuel-efficient general aviation aircraft. From the early races, as the Lowers-Backer-Falk competition (or Oshkosh 500 races), [2] the CAFE Formula evolved to better evaluate the aircraft efficiency. The start formula was V x MPG x W, later V^1.25 x MPG x W^0.75, [3] where V = average speed over the course of the race, MPG = miles per US gallon of fuel and W = cabin payload in pounds. The first regular races to use this formula were the CAFE 250, then CAFE 400, which were held each summer from 1981 to 1990 and carried a purse of $2,000. [4]

CAFE triaviathon

In 1986, the Foundation utilized a newly developed, ultra-sensitive airspeed sensor, called the CAFE Barograph and inaugurated the CAFE Triaviathon race. This race evaluated an aircraft based on top speed, stall speed and rate of climb. Because of the barograph's sensitivity, the FAA later designated it as the standard for use during aircraft certification flight tests. [4] The CAFE 400 and Triaviathon races were discontinued after the 1990 season

Flight test program

After the 1990 season, the focus of the Foundation shifted to performing detailed flight test analyses of experimental aircraft, again focusing on the aircraft's efficiency. Each aircraft evaluated resulted in an Aircraft Performance Report that was then published by the EAA. These activities took place at a new facility, the CAFE Flight Test Center, at the Sonoma County Airport, funded by the EAA and completed in 1993. [4]

CAFE challenge

In that same year, a new face, the CAFE Challenge, was inaugurated, and the Triaviathon was reinstated. Using highly accurate GPS technology, the Challenge used the slightly modified CAFE Formula over a 500-mile (800 km) closed course to evaluate an aircraft's performance. The Formula is V^1.3 x MPG x W^0.6, where V = average speed over the course of the race, MPG = miles per US gallon of fuel and W = cabin payload in pounds. The first winner of the Challenge was the Scaled Composites Catbird, a high-performance single-engine all-composite aircraft designed by Burt Rutan and flown by his brother, Dick Rutan in 1993. [5] [6] The 1994 winner of the Challenge was another composite aircraft of canard layout designed by Burt Rutan and flown by Gary Hertzler. [7] Rather than a monetary purse, the two races now are commemorated by a perpetual trophy. [4]

NASA-funded challenges

Beginning in 2008, the Challenge race was recast. NASA has funded a purse of $300,000, to be distributed over several prizes, including the Community Noise Prize, the "Green Prize", which measures fuel efficiency, the Aviation Safety Prize, for aircraft handling qualities, a reinstatement of the CAFE 400 race, and the "Quietest LSA" Prize. [4] In addition, NASA had put up $2 million in prize funding to encourage the development of the Personal Air Vehicle.

Green Flight Challenge

The 2011 NASA-CAFE Green Flight Challenge requires participants to fly 200 miles (320 km) in under 2 hours, and doing it at less than 1-US-gallon (3.8 L) of gasoline per occupant. Nine teams have registered. [8]

Other activities

The CAFE Foundation also hosts an annual symposium which focuses on research subjects that affect the development of more efficient aircraft.

Related Research Articles

Scaled Composites American aerospace company

Scaled Composites is an American aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman. It is located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. Founded to develop experimental aircraft, the company now focuses on designing and developing concept craft and prototype fabrication processes for aircraft and other vehicles. It is known for unconventional designs, for its use of non-metal, composite materials, and for winning the Ansari X Prize with its experimental spacecraft SpaceShipOne.

SpaceShipOne American experimental spaceplane

SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique "feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the rear half of the wing and the twin tail booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases drag while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first crewed private spaceflight in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million Ansari X Prize and was immediately retired from active service. Its mother ship was named "White Knight". Both craft were developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which was a joint venture between Paul Allen and Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

Burt Rutan American aerospace engineer

Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is a retired American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft. He designed the record-breaking Voyager, which in 1986 was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, which in 2006 set the world record for the fastest and longest nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation flight in history. In 2004, Rutan's sub-orbital spaceplane design SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space, winning the Ansari X-Prize that year for achieving the feat twice within a two-week period.

Mojave Air and Space Port Facility located in Mojave, California

The Mojave Air and Space Port, also known as the Civilian Aerospace Test Center, is in Mojave, California, United States, at an elevation of 2,801 feet (854 m). It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a spaceport by the Federal Aviation Administration on June 17, 2004. The facility covers 2,998 acres and has three runways.

Rutan VariEze Homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan

The Rutan VariEze is a composite, canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. It is a high-performance homebuilt aircraft, hundreds of which have been constructed. The design later evolved into the Long-EZ and other, larger cabin canard aircraft. The VariEze is notable for popularizing the canard configuration and moldless glass cloth composite construction for homebuilt aircraft.

Rutan Quickie Light aircraft designed by Burt Rutan

The Rutan Quickie is a lightweight single-seat taildragger aircraft of composite construction, configured with tandem wings.

Hypermiling is driving or flying a vehicle with techniques that maximize fuel efficiency. Those who use these techniques are called "hypermilers". In the case of cars, this is an extreme form of energy-efficient driving.

XCOR EZ-Rocket

The XCOR EZ-Rocket was a test platform for the XCOR XR-4A3 rocket propulsion system. The airplane was a modified Rutan Long-EZ, with the propeller replaced by first one, then later a pair of pressure-fed regeneratively cooled liquid-fueled rocket engines and an underslung fuel tank. The engines were restartable in flight, and were contained within Kevlar armor shielding. The EZ-Rocket was registered as an experimental aircraft.

NASA AD-1

The NASA AD-1 was both an aircraft and an associated flight test program conducted between 1979 and 1982 at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards California, which successfully demonstrated an aircraft wing that could be pivoted obliquely from zero to 60 degrees during flight.

The AMSOIL Racer, also known as the Rutan Biplane Racer and the Rutan Model 68 Racer, was a race tandem wing plane which was designed by Burt Rutan's Rutan Aircraft Factory, and built and flown by Dan Mortensen. It set several speed records, but crashed at the 1983 Reno Air Races.

Personal air vehicle Type of aircraft

A personal air vehicle (PAV) is a proposed type of aircraft providing on-demand aviation services.

Williams V-Jet II

The Williams V-Jet II was designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites for Williams International as a test bed and demonstrator aircraft for Williams' new FJX-1 turbofan engine.

Steve Wittman American aviator

Sylvester Joseph "Steve" Wittman was an American air-racer and aircraft engineer.

Scaled Composites Catbird

The Scaled Composites Model 81 Catbird is a high-efficiency five-seat single-engine all-composite general aviation aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. It is unusual in that it incorporates both a small forward wing and a small conventional horizontal stabilizer on the tail.

Wittman V-Witt

The Wittman V-Witt also called Witts V and Witt's Vee is single-engine tube-and-fabric construction aircraft specifically made for Formula V Air Racing.

Folkerts SK-3

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IFB-Stuttgart E-Genius

The e-Genius is a crewed electric airplane, which was developed by the Institute of Aircraft Design at the University of Stuttgart and first flew in May 2011.

Wittman DFA

The Wittman DFA aka Little Bonzo is a homebuilt racing aircraft designed to compete in midget racing.

Fuel economy in aircraft Aircraft fuel efficiency

The fuel economy in aircraft is the measure of the transport energy efficiency of aircraft. Efficiency is increased with better aerodynamics and by reducing weight, and with improved engine BSFC and propulsive efficiency or TSFC. Endurance and range can be maximized with the optimum airspeed, and economy is better at optimum altitudes, usually higher. An airline efficiency depends on its fleet fuel burn, seating density, air cargo and passenger load factor, while operational procedures like maintenance and routing can save fuel.

Rutan Grizzly

The Rutan Model 72 Grizzly is a tandem-wing STOL research aircraft designed by Burt Rutan, now preserved at the EAA AirVenture Museum, Oshkosh. The aircraft exhibited excellent Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capabilities, proving that this is also possible with a Rutan-typical canard design.

References

  1. ↑ Sponsors listing from cafefoundation.org Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Sport Aviation, 1981, CAFE 250
  3. ↑ Sport Aviation, 1985 CAFE 400 overview
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 The Story of CAFE from CAFE Foundation. Accessed 2019-02-14}}
  5. ↑ Seeley, Brien, A Tale of Two Trophies cached at Google
  6. ↑ Order from Chaos, The CAFE Foundation Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ http://cafefoundation.org/v2/pdf_cafe_apr/WMEA.pdf
  8. ↑ The 2011 CAFE Green Flight Challenge Rules CAFE Foundation. Accessed: 9 January 2011.
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