Non electric plane with ebike inside anyway

Joined
Nov 27, 2015
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S.E. Idaho USA
From a couple days fun last week, I landed 7 new sites and got the eMontague out and rode some mountain dirt roads and trails. It only takes about 3 minutes to deploy it and the same to pack it away, a bit less actually. After many years of doing this kind of bush flying, and for that matter doing it with previous non e powered Montagues, I am absolutely blown away by the fact that I (the plane I mean, it handles the extra weight just fine) can still do it after adding the BBSHD kit. It still lands super short rough high altitude areas, but now I have really have a lot more potential for fun not to mention more practicality as my riding range is increased so much. BTW:the plane is super quiet, it has a unique prop and two mufflers, and a good wing with lots of lift so it flies well when throttled way back. The onboard charger (a converter from the plane's 12 v system) charges at 2 amps, that's about 5 to 8 miles of added bike range for every hour flight. I can get the fuel burn (regular mo gas, even E-10) down to 2.5 GPH pretty easily, and with the fuel I can carry the plane has a 8 to 10 hour duration, while carrying one person (me) the ebike, and full camping gear. 85 MPH airspeed cruise, about 90+ over the ground most of the time, with any luck.
 
Cool. How much does the bike weigh? Most planes don't have a lot of room inside, so just getting it to fit is an accomplishment.

I don't have a plane, but my car isn't much bigger. Having an ebike that is easy to take along has a lot of appeal.
 
It weighs more then 50, less then 60. And that includes the Rohloff hub, you could lose 2 or 3 lbs by not having that. BUT, the Rohloff gear spread gives me a high speed around town cruiser, and also a off trail monster. Yes, it is a hell of an accomplishment to make that bike fit in that small plane, one I still can't quite believe even though I've been doing it for nearly 20 years in 2 different models of the same plane. It was just a happy coincidence that the bike and the plane morphed together, another inch or two either way on either would have made it impractical. When the possibility of adding e power to it came to my attention, I was VERY reluctant to rock the boat, but other then the extra weight it STILL fits as easily as before, that blows my mind and tells me it was meant to happen, and I was meant to ride and fly the hell out of it. What's really crazy is when around much bigger airplanes, "real" certified airplanes that cost many times more to buy plus many times more to operate per hour, and they can't figure out how to carry a bike, much less an ebike. There's been times when I whiz by a fellow pilot who's walking into town, I almost feel guilty.

The folding aspect of the bike is super handy, and the Bafang mid drive fit the frame perfect, with no ground clearance loss. I taken several long trips in my Prius, with the bike in the area where the passenger front seat was, when I see bikes on roof top racks I cringe, so draggy!
 
Can you perhaps fit myself and another ebike in your plane and still take off and land safely? :)
 
Have you converted any of your pilot-friends into getting an electric bike?

The Montague is a full-sized folder, but...there are smaller folders available for plane-owners who could use an ebike, but don't have a lot of room...
 
liveforphysics said:
Can you perhaps fit myself and another ebike in your plane and still take off and land safely? :)

Right there is the only rub, no. The plane is tandem seating, and I have a removable passenger seat with a cargo deck that takes it's place, the pilot (me....) sits up front. The baggage area is behind the passenger seat. The bike kind of wedges into the airframe cross member that separates the baggage area from the cargo deck, and partially hangs from the overhead structure (4130 chrome moly). Really no way for me to carry a passenger and even one ebike, or bike of any kind. By the time I "trade up" to a larger plane that could carry a passenger along with another ebike (hopefully someone cuter then you no offence) I would end up with a larger engine, more horsepower, meaning a Lycoming (ancient tech, not fuel efficient, uses leaded and expensive Av gas) as the Rotax 912S I currently use (very fuel efficient, light weight, like a current car engine, compared to a 50's era engine, that's the difference between the Rotax and the convention Lycoming or Continental engines), that means more noise, more weight, and for sure more fuel burn, like more then double! Plus, it would not "get into" the postage stamp size places I can get into now, safely, safe enough anyway, but "super STOL", no. Plus, it's a whole different deal with a passenger when doing off airport, I hear it's called "responsibility", when it's just my own ass to worry about, I can have a lot of fun, with a passenger I fly like an airline pilot.

Besides all that, when I'm getting my ass kicked in rough air, and have been flying for several hours, and STILL having a great time, I know from experience that by then a passenger would be going "get me the hell out of this torture chamber or I'm going to hurl." I take passengers, cute ones hopefully, for brief rides, and it's great fun to share the experience, but the stuff I do on my own with the bike (priceless) is best done solo. Now, a girlfriend with her OWN plane and OWN ebike would certainly be welcome to fly along side, yeah that's the ticket! In the meantime, I make the best of it, and keep it simple as possible, based on what I'm flying now.
 
Very cool. Which plane is it?

External storage could solve your problem?
 
It's a RANS S-7S kitplane, with lots of back country mods. Plus engines mods for increased efficiency also lowered the fuel consumption while increasing the power. It uses less fuel then a 65 hp Piper J-3, while out performing a 150 hp Super Cub (but I can't carry the weight the bigger Super Cub, plus it burns twice the fuel).

A friend who is professional aircraft composite guy had me test fly these large baggage pods, they haul ahuge amount of gear and are so aero clean i didn't see any drop off in performance, amazing! But, the only way to carry the bike is inside, where the passenger goes normally. Some have carried bikes outside the airplane but not routinely, as it is way draggy.

 
craneplaneguy said:
A friend who is professional aircraft composite guy had me test fly these large baggage pods, they haul ahuge amount of gear and are so aero clean i didn't see any drop off in performance, amazing! But, the only way to carry the bike is inside, where the passenger goes normally.
If the bike won't fit in the pods, maybe the passenger would? ;)
 
craneplaneguy said:
... couple days fun last week, I landed 7 new sites and got the eMontague out and rode some mountain dirt roads and trails. It only takes about 3 minutes to deploy it and the same to pack it away

Ahh, that's living the dream. Good for you!
 
spinningmagnets said:
Have you converted any of your pilot-friends into getting an electric bike?

The Montague is a full-sized folder, but...there are smaller folders available for plane-owners who could use an ebike, but don't have a lot of room...


Several, I am happy to say! I post on a couple of my favorite flying forums every time something new and different in folders come along, and then I usually follow up with "but....", listing it's drawbacks ("no good for off road, looks goofy, not in production yet", are my most common comments, and then go on to list why my Montague was and is the choice for me.



The area of the fuselage behind the pilot and baggage area is verboten for carrying stuff, it throws the CG too far off plus there are structural criss cross tubes back there, not just a single big area. BUT it is good for light bulky stuff, and is where I carry my sleeping bags and pillow, stuff like that.
 
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