Taurus 503
Are oil marks close to engine bay door normal?
Yes, the Taurus 503’s engine runs on fuel/oil pre-mix which contains 2% of oil. When the engine runs on full power (tipical for take off and climb) small amounts of fuel/oil mixture escape the carburettor through the filters and through the exhaust. It deposits on the nearby fuselage structure, close to the engine bay door. The fuel evaporates, however the oil remains in form of small localized stains which pose no hazard to the surface, structure or flight safety. This is a completely normal phenomenon.
What is the battery endurance and life:
Basic pack endurance: one climb to 1200 m (4000 ft), with optional pack 2000 m (7000 ft). Overall battery life: 2000 charge cycles until 85% capacity, however there is a limit of about 12 years on the battery chemistry. This means you it will *probably* be necessary to replace the batteries after 12 years, even if you do not use the aircraft a lot. As of now, nobody is really sure about this as the technology is really new – in reality this may be extended 15 years or more, depending how you use the batteries.
Is the battery removable for charging?
Yes, the battery comes in form of 2 packs (basic version) or 4 packs (optional). Each can be removed, although the charging does not require removing the packs out of the fuselage. In other words, you can charge the packs inside the aircraft or outside on a separate charger.
Charging time?
With basic two battery packs the charge about 2 hours (on a normal 240 V household socket), with four packs the time is about 3.5 hours. Charging times are quoted for a fully depleated battery.
What is special about the Taurus Electro’s systems?
All batteries and the complete system is managed in the background ALL THE TIME. This means that everything happens automatically without pilot’s intervention. This includes battery management (ballancing), charging/discharging, temperature compensation, cell bridging, system monitoring. We expect to bump-up the power to 40 kW for take-off and then permit 30 kW for the rest of the climb.
