Aircraft
Whisper Aero and Tennessee Tech Team on Quiet Electric Glider
Tennessee Tech students will ground-test the ‘Whisper Ultralight’ powered glider
A digital rendering of the Whisper Ultralight in flight
© Whisper Aero

Whisper Aero and Tennessee Tech University have received a $500,000 research grant from Tennessee’s state government to demonstrate quiet flight with an electric glider. The so-called “Whisper Ultralight” will be a modified Aériane Swift 3 glider featuring two of Whisper’s eQ250 ultraquiet ducted-fan propulsors.

Funding was awarded through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s (TNECD) Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, which aims to “make Tennessee the No. 1 destination in the Southeast for automotive and mobility R&D investment,” TNECD said in an April 2 announcement.

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