The first-ever manned flight of a fuel cell powered light aircraft has been completed in Spain, according to Intelligent Energy and Boeing (NYSE: BA), the two lead companies involved in building and testing the plane.
The plane is a two-seat motor-glider with a 53.5-feet wingspan. It was modified by Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) to incorporate a hybrid low emission engine, containing Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell power system and lithium-ion batteries, to power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller.
Three test flights took place in February and March at an airfield near Madrid, the companies said. Each time, the pilot climbed to an altitude of 3,300 feet using a combination of battery power and power generated by the hydrogen fuel cells, and continued in a straight path at the cruising altitude for 20 minutes at a speed of 62 miles per hour on power solely generated by the fuel cells.
Henri Winand, chief executive of Intelligent Energy, said,
"This is a new dawn for clean aviation, and the latest project to vindicate our view that hydrogen fuel cells can find applications in a wide variety of sectors."
According to Boeing researchers, fuel cell technology could potentially power small manned and unmanned aircrafts. Fuel cells could be applied to secondary power generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes. While Boeing does not envisage that fuel cells will provide primary power for large passenger airplanes, the company will continue to investigate their potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy sources that improve environmental performance.
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