[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14950-14951]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PIPISTREL AND PIPISTREL USA

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the future of electric 
aviation is upon us in the Centre region of Pennsylvania. Pipistrel and 
Pipistrel USA, an aviation company in State College, Pennsylvania, won 
first place in NASA's Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Green 
Flight Challenge, which took first place September 25 at Charles Santa 
Rosa, California.
  Sponsored by Google, the Green Flight Challenge was created to 
advance aviation fuel efficiency technologies. Fourteen teams 
registered and collectively invested more than $4 million in the 
challenge. The winning aircraft had to fly 200 miles in less than 2 
hours and use less than 1 gallon of fuel per occupant, or the 
equivalent in electricity, and would be awarded a $1.35 million grant.
  Pipistrel USA's aircraft achieved twice this requirement, flying 200 
miles using just over a half-gallon of fuel equivalent per passenger. 
The team was led by Dr. Jack Langelaan, assistant professor of 
Aerospace Engineering at Penn State University, and supported by 
engineers and faculty from numerous departments, local area aviation 
businesses and facilities. It truly was a team effort.

[[Page 14951]]

  I want to congratulate Pipistrel USA, Penn State, and all those 
involved in this project for their hard work and entrepreneurial 
spirit.

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