Lindbergh made the announcement at the World Electric Aircraft Symposium, a day-long conference to showcase and advance innovation in electric-powered flight, during the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011 air show in Oshkosh, Wis., concluding today. Calin Gologan of Germany, principal of PC-Aero, accepted the award at the symposium, where he provided a presentation on his aircraft, Elektra One. (Earlier post.)

My surprise was 200 percent, and I’m very honored. This is a recognition for our good work, which will motivate us to keep our effort under way in the future.

—Calin Gologan

The award was the seventh from LEAP (Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize). Three each were awarded at the same show in 2010 and at Aero-Friedrichshafen in southern Germany this spring. Those awards have honored various facets of electric-powered aviation. The Elektra One was the third aircraft, and both the first solar-enabled airplane and the first complete electric aircraft system, to be honored. The plane will be sold as a package featuring wing-borne SolarWorld photovoltaic cells to extend its range as well as a SolarWorld-powered hangar to house the plane and charge the aircraft’s lithium battery pack.

This is an electrifying time. Visionaries are taking risks. The field is alive with novel approaches and rich in activity and experimentation. With continued intellectual and financial investments, great opportunity exists for technological advancements that could apply well beyond electric aircraft.

—Erik Lindbergh