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  • Press Release

    AFK Enterprise AG (CH) and RS.aero have agreed on the entry of AFK Enterprise AG into ReinerStemme.aero GmbH with a minority stake.

     

    ... see the document

    2023/05/02

  • Prototyping in Progress

    We are proud to show you one half of the final fuselage of the prototype. It is very good quality and light and meets our expectations. Still a lot of parts to be built and integrated, but this is a huge step forward. Have a look at the pictures …

     

    ... see the pictures

    2022/09/22

  • RS.aero cancels presence at 2022 AERO trade show 

    We were already full of excitement about this year’s AERO participation but have cancelled our plans due to too much COVID-19 uncertainty.

    ... read more

    2022/02/03

  • 3-Blade Retrac Propeller Prototype

    has become so beautiful! And it is of convincing quality – but even more important: It works great, it is light! Have a look at the details …

    ... see more

    2021/10/31

  • Electrifly-In

    The Swiss Electrifly-In is becoming more and more an important exhibition and meeting opportunity for our industry. It is already taking place for the 5th time and RS.aero is also taking part. Meet us Sept. 11-12 at Grenchen airport at the Electrifly-In!

    2021/08/29

  • elfin is now alive at Social Media!

    Welcome to elfin’s new homes on the social media platforms.

    Also there you will find frequently news on what is happening about the elfin. Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

    2021/08/14

  • RS.aero open days, Aug. 20-22

    „Family & Friends“ open days – we open our doors and invite you to discover how our elfin approaches maiden flight. We give you an insight into our company including manufacturing and assembly stations. Come and visit us – we will be happy to provide you with details about our elfin.

    read more ...

    2021/08/11

  • Check out our new look!

    Fresh and colourful, RS.aero’s new logos and website have launched. Stay tuned! Social media will be following soon.

    2021/07/09

  • Mission Oshkosh impossible

    Covid-19 still clips our wings. Sadly US pandemic rules prevent us from attending this year’s biggest fly-in worldwide. But feel free to pay us a visit at RS.aero’s Schönhagen base where every guest is welcome!

    2021/07/09

  • elfin counts two new customers

    RS.aero has bagged two further orders. With Covid-19 stepping back private aviation springs back to life internationally. We register strongly growing queries about our new aircraft in the making. And we work hard to get back to everyone quickly with answers to your questions.

    2021/07/09

e-power got wings

elfin - freedom reinvented

The Unique RS-3 Folding Propeller

unfold, retract, unfold, retract

Three blades hidden

The three-blade folding propeller is tailor-made for the requirements of the elfin electric motor glider. Retractable blades are its unique and proven feature, combining efficient propulsion, if needed, with zero drag in soaring mode. Our high-tech propeller generates outstanding performance in both worlds. When invisbly folded into the plane’s nose, the perfect aerodynamics and beauty of a high-performance glider aircraft are preserved.

Safe and easy handling

Moving the nose cone for blade unfolding as well as the activation and operation of the powered flight is controlled via a single lever. This minimizes the procedure and risk of failure for pilots who can remain fully focused on flying the aircraft. Switching between gliding and powered mode just takes seconds with no noticeable change of drag or center of gravity shift happening.

Electric propulsion

The three-blade propeller is optimised for electric propulsion. Its individual blades unfold by centrifugal force while especially  designed mechatronics ensure smooth in and out movements with minimal impact on parts and structure. Our long high-tech materials experience opted for a mainly carbon-made propeller boasting highest standards of safety and longevity at minimal maintenance.

Clear advantages

The change from a two-blade folding propeller, patented by Reiner Stemme for the S10 series, to a new three-blade design provides elfin with clear advantages. Its propeller is not only optimized for electric propulsion but works now at significantly lower noise levels with slower revolution still delivering sufficient thrust. As the aircraft’s nose cone has received a nearly rounded shape, vibration levels have been lowered further. The propulsion system is perfectly positioned at the front tip of the aircraft where it usually unfolds maximum thrust efficiency on single engine aircraft.

Great performance

Performance data of elfin’s propulsion system you might like to know: Take-off roll on unpaved and dry RWY is 250m (820 ft). The plane’s climb rate is 3 m/s (590 ft/min) and its typical cruise speed is up to 185 km/h (100 kts TAS). 

The Electric Motor

with clean and powerful propulsion from A to B

Aviation's future is electric

Electric flying is friendly to the environment, powerful and reliable. You will be amazed about the low noise levels of elfin’s electric motor – in- and outside of the cockpit. It seems like complete silence compared to conventional combustion plane engines. And low vibration levels increase comfort and joy of flying further to a new and pleasurable experience of powered flight.

Strong propulsion

The elfin is powered by an EMRAX 268 electric motor, made by the eponymous Slovenian technology provider with ample development and application experience in the fields of electric propulsion. Applying a powerful 65 kW (88 hp) to the unique elfin folding propeller, the EMRAX 268 ensures a climb rate of at least 3 m/s (590 ft/min).

Low weight and maintenace

At a weight of only 20 kg the electric motor is compact enough to be installed right at the aircraft’s front end without shifting the center of gravity or causing undesirable drag. The entire system design is optimised and the engine directly flanged to the propeller. No gearbox is needed, saving weight and doing away with a part that creates frequently substantial maintenance cost while also showing significant failure rates.

Fast and powerful

The extremely fast availability of a full power level is a also remarkable safety feature of elfin’s electric motor. It allows, next to efficient cruising flight, also for a quick initiation of go-arounds. Needless to say that elfin’s combination of electric motor with a retractable propeller is the optimal solution to delete drag and center of gravity shifts when the pilot switches from soaring to powered flight and vice versa.

Great performance

This is performance data of elfin’s propulsion system you might like to know: Take-off roll on unpaved and dry RWY is 250m (820 ft). The plane’s climb rate is 3 m/s (590 ft/min) and its typical cruise speed is up to 185 km/h (100 kts TAS). 

The Side-by-side cockpit

pleasant comfort, shared splendid views

Sharing great flight experiences

Side-by-side cockpits are rare in the glider aircraft world. But it gives so much more joy and pleasure when amazing flight experiences can be shared. Cosy and comfortable, the elfin cockpit’s huge canopy guarantees fantastic panoramic views that are unrestricted by wings.

Crash-safe materials and technologies

To protect elfin’s pilots as far as possible, we use state-of-the-art design, technologies and materials to make the plane’s cockpit as crash-safe as possible.

Easy pilot entry ensured

A low-level sill gives both pilots easy access to the cockpit. This is especially convenient when you prefer to fly with your own parachute – allthough elfin’s integral ballistic rescue system makes this unnecessary.

The Ballistic Rescue System

flight safety raised to a maximum

Easy to trigger safety parachute

We want you to come back to the ground safely – even in the worst case. Hence elfin comes with a ballistic rescue system as a standard feature bringing the whole plane, if necessary, smoothly down to earth suspended from a large, single parachute. The system is easy to trigger while also being sufficiently protected against unintentional use. Still all passengers, even without flying experience, can release it in a split seconds if necessary.

A proven life-saving system

Even at lower altitudes the ballistic rescue system is able to save pilot lives by bringing them down safely. We chose BRS Aerospace as partner for elfin’s rescue parachute system. These systems are the most tested and they have rescued already more than 440 pilot lives wordwide.

The Battery Pack

unleash the power of electrons

Capacity and safety match the highest aviation standards

The battery technology enjoyed big advances over the last years so that aviation can now benefit from electric propulsion systems safely. Longevity has strongly increased, keeping their performance outstanding for a very high number of loading cycles while overheating is no longer a threat, as long as adequate battery types are chosen.

Tailor your individual power pack

Depending on preferences such as flight range you can scale elfin’s onboard electric power system by assembling more or less battery units.

Range Extender

get the extra mile out of your aircraft

When far away is not far enough

Does battery-stored electric power limit your range, or are you flying in a region with only patchy charging infrastructure? Elfin’s Range Extender, a small combustion engine, is the solution flying the extra mile. It  propels you with up to 90 liter of fuel from onboard tanks and recharges the batteries via an onboard generator.

Get immediately more power - everywhere, immediately

Are you going on a longer trip and can’t wait for the batteries to charge? Refuelling the Range Extender is possible at nearly every airfield, increasing your independence even further.

Undercarriage

have a good landing

Full independence

The retractable undercarriage and steerable tail wheel ensure full independence in operation. Taxiing under power is safe and easy. Ground handling and hangaring are eased by unlocking the tail wheel to a 360° swivel.

Fully retractable

The main landing gear and tail wheel are retractable to ensure an aerodynamically smooth shape for the best performance in both – gliding and electric-powered flight.

Tanks

fill up your energy

Wing tanks for fuel

Both wings feature integrated fuel tanks with a capacity of 45 litres each. They enable the elfin to go, with a range extender, on long-range flights of up to 1.100 km / 600 NM. They can compensate either occasional lacks of fast battery refilling options or complement the limited range of pure electric-powered flight.

Wing tanks for water

Water tanks in both wings can each take up 50 kg of ballast water to increase wing loading and speed up the aircraft in soaring mode.

Flaperons

Expand your Horizons.

Performance optimised

Flaperons running along the whole wingspan allow for the perfect adjustment of the airfoil to flown speeds. This improves significantly the performance and speed along with providing even a noticeably smoother flight feel at higher speeds.

Foldable wings

shrink your aircraft

No space for a 20m wingspan? Fold it!

A common problem: A 65.7 ft / 20 m wingspan is not easy to hangar or it is even impossible to get hangar space for that size. This is no problem for elfin: A simple one-man operation reduces the wingspan to 33 ft / 10 m. You can even taxi the aircraft in this configuration, if you have not enough space available on your airfield.

Still too wide? Rotate!

elfin provides a unique solution: Get the wing over the fuselage via a turntable that rotates the folded wing lengthwise – for a hangar space of only 11.5 m x 1.5 m (37.9 ft x 5.0 ft).

Undercarriage

Expand your Horizons.

Full independence

The retractable undercarriage and steerable tail wheel ensure full independence in operation. Taxiing under power is safe and easy. Ground handling and hangaring are eased by unlocking the tail wheel to a 360° swivel.

Fully retractable

The main landing gear and tail wheel are retractable to ensure an aerodynamically smooth shape for the best performance in both – gliding and electric-powered flight.

The elfin idea: get one, have two

elfin is a unique two-in-one aircraft concept, powered by an innovative electric propulsion system.

This makes the aircraft the perfect high-performance, self-launching glider but also a recreational long-haul cruiser with a panoramic side-by-side cockpit. It is its reach that marks the elfin out from the crowd. Up to two and a half hours of pure electric powered flight and a range of up to 600 NM (1.100 km) via range-extender make this motor glider a breakthrough setting new standards.

Facts & Features

The elfin is stuffed with cutting-edge technology:

Three-blade folding propeller, state-of-the-art electric engine, powerful high-safety batteries, hybrid range-extender, side-by-side panoramic safety cockpit, ballistic aircraft rescue system, retractable undercarriage, flaperons, steerable and 360°-swivel tail wheel, wing-folding system. Check out all the exciting details here.

The elfin Story

An aircraft is not created from thin air.

The innovative e-motor glider elfin is the advanced-career highlight of a resourceful plane designer and lifelong aviation enthusiast – Reiner Stemme. Find the full story of Reiner Stemme and his elfin here.

Upcoming Events

Meet the elfin – see it, touch it, try it!

RS.aero puts the elfin on display at air shows, trade fairs, roadshows and fly-ins all around the world. Save the date and make in-person appointments with us. Follow our presentation calendar here.