CubCrafters testing slats with fans to boost lift
CubCrafters, the Yakima, Washington-based manufacturer of backcountry light sport and Part 23 certified aircraft, is testing its newest Electric Lift Augmenting Slat (ELAS) technology that is expected to dramatically increase wing lift.
ELAS increases the lift a wing can generate by using multiple electric ducted fans attached to leading edge lifting slats. The system increases the velocity of airflow over the top of the wing, decreasing air pressure and generating more lift. The system allows for better aerodynamic performance at slower speeds and higher angles of attack. By reducing the stall speed of the aircraft, the system improves the aircraft’s slow speed handling characteristics, making it more capable in short takeoff and landing (STOL) scenarios.
“With comparatively low acquisition and operational costs,” Patrick Horgan, CEO of CubCrafters explained, “ELAS is a disruptive concept that carries unprecedented benefits, including enabling fixed-wing aircraft to operate outside of designated airports and manage much higher payloads versus comparable eVTOL aircraft—all while enhancing safety.”
The idea for electric ducted fan slat technology was conceived at CubCrafters’ Adventure Research Engineering AnneX (AreaX). The company has been working on various new wing slat concepts since 2015 and used more advanced aerodynamic tools than other traditional backcountry STOL slats. CubCrafters went on to design, prototype, and test the concepts from 2016 to 2017. After attending the Uber-hosted conference "Elevate Summit" in April of 2017, Dr. David Ullman, Vince Homer, and Horgan co-authored a paper that compared the advantages of STOL aircraftversus electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Ullman and Homer were awarded a patent in 2018 for a distributed electric ducted fan wing concept incorporating multiple electric ducted fans on lifting surfaces configured to provide integrated aerodynamics. Horgan came up with the invention, combining Ullman and Homer's "IDEAL" distributed power technology with the advanced wing slats that CubCrafters was developing, giving birth to ELAS.
To partially fund the project, NASA awarded CubCrafters two research grants through the Small Business Innovations Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. The system was issued its U.S. patent in 2021 and is currently in its flight-testing phase. The company says tests flights with ELAS are expected to begin soon.
The ELAS system can be added to an existing airframe or built into the wings as original equipment and can be designed to retract when not in use.
