BACE Sonex Xenos Electric Rolls Out in Bremerton

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xenos completion group photo
The BACE Xenos build team around the electric Xenos, plugged into the ramp recharging port at KPWT.

The Bremerton Aviation Center for Education (BACE), a project of Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) Chapter 406, has rolled out their electric powered Xenos motor-glider in a celebration at KPWT on July 11. This airplane has been built over the last four years as an educational vehicle, providing learning opportunities for students of all ages.

Test Pilots
Xenos pilot Annika Pexton and future F22 pilot Violet Weir taxied the Xenos for the rollout ceremony.

In association with the Port of Bremerton, we will be able to refuel the Xenos at the first public access electric aircraft charging port in the state of Washington. The charging port is installed on the ramp at Bremerton National Airport. The electricity for charging our Xenos will come from an array of solar panels on the roof of the BACE building donated by Greg Williams of Sunergy Systems.

Annika Xenos rollout
Pilot Annika Pexton strikes a pose in front of the Xenos. Her leather jacket was a reward from Marines attack pilot Al Royal for making her first solo.
Maddie artwork
Artist Madeline Johnson of Kitsap Central High School painted an illustration of the BACE solar powered ramp recharging port at KPWT. The smiling face of the electric Xenos appealed to the kids at the Bremerton airshow following the rollout.

The battery onboard the Xenos will allow for around 45 minutes of flight and then recharge in about two hours. When Chapter 406 flies youngsters for their first introduction to aviation in the Young Eagles program, it could be in a vehicle powered by the sun. What could be cooler than that?

—Michael Friend

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