Dean Sigler
Dean Sigler was a technical writer professionally for 34 years, with a liberal arts background and a Master's degree in education. He writes the Sustainable Aviation and CAFE Foundation blogs. He has presented at several symposia and at several Experimental Soaring Association workshops. Part of the Perlan Project, he is a private pilot with a great love for low and slow aircraft.
Alternative Energies
Graphene “paper,” drag-racing electric motorcycles and hybrid aircraft were hot topics at the Electric Aircraft Symposium in Santa Rosa, California, and illustrated the progress being made in alternative energy sources. By Dean Sigler.
Alternative Energies
Electric vehicles and aircraft may be the future, but how will we create the energy to power them while minimizing environmental damage? By Dean Sigler.
Crossing the Atlantic: Low, Slow and on Electrical Power
Chip Yates, a championship motorcycle racer and winner of the 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb on a 258-horsepower electric motorcycle, is planning on making...
Alternative Energies
Solar-powered aircraft may have some inherent limits, but they are also marvels of engineering that constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible. By Dean Sigler.
Creating a Standard for Electrified AC
Ron Gremban is an early developer of plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) automobiles, having converted hundreds of Toyota Prius vehicles to extend their electric-only range...
Alternative Energies
Dean Sigler checks in on the Green Flight Challengers of 2011 who didn’t make it to the competition to see what they’re up to now.
Report from the 2012 SSA Convention
It was my good fortune to attend the 2012 Soaring Society of America convention at the Reno/Sparks Convention Hall in Reno, Nevada, February 1-5.
Besides...
Alternative Energies
Electric motorgliders are leading the way in low-cost, fuel-efficient flight. In the second installment of his two-part series, Dean Sigler profiles seven designs at the forefront of this emerging field.
Building as a Group
The Independence Five is an Oregon-based group building a bevy of DH.2s. Dean Sigler explores their approach to building and reports on how the project is progressing.
In Case You Missed It
Disconnected Pitot Line
Ever lose your airspeed in flight? The nylon lines held in the “push-grip” fittings...
Light Sport, Done the Van’s Way
Van’s founder Dick VanGrunsven has long been active in the development of consensus standards for Light Sport Aircraft. Until recently, however, no one knew he was developing an LSA of his own. Enter the proof-of-concept RV-12. If testing bears out the viability of the concept, it may become available as an amateur-built kit.