With the introduction of the Shark 304ES, HPH move into the electric sailplane arena. Its experience with powered sailplanes and partnership with LZ Design continue the approach of working with the best companies to bring the Shark 304ES to market quickly and with a very high “out-of-the-box” product maturity.

The Shark 304ES delivers a significant battery-powered self-retrieve capability of approximately 80 km’s which is more than enough to get you to an airfield or in many cases back to soaring conditions or to your home base.

FES SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Using experience gained during development on the Certified Front electric sustainer (FES) System, LZ Design were able to work with HPH to determine the best way of adapting the Shark sailplane to offer the electric “Self-Retrieve” capability.

The system uses 2 GEN2 LiPo batteries which each come with a dedicated balancing charger. One battery weighs ~15kg and only looses about 1% of its charge in a month. They still retain 70–80% of their charge after 1000 complete recharge cycles. Full charging takes about 6–8 hours. Typically charging time wpuld be 2-3 hours after flight. Installing the batteries takes about 5 minutes.

CONTROLLER UNIT

The LXNAV FES controller is left powered for the duration of the flight. After take-off, the FES power is enabled via a toggle switch, whereupon the FES system is ready to offer immediate thrust by rotating the knob clockwise. This knob controls the power level. Rotating anti-clockwise stops the motor. The blades are then parked automatically.

PROPELLER UNIT

The FES propeller is interlocked to prevent inadvertent operation on the ground. The FES system automatically parks the blades and nose to ensure optimal aerodynamic performance.

The FES propeller blades are protected during transport or when on the airfield with a removable cover. The Cobra trailer nose cone incorporates cut-outs for the propeller during transit.