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Boeing Successfully Flies Fuel Cell-Powered Airplane

MADRID, Spain, April 3-- Airplane maker Boeing announced today that it has, for the first time in aviation history, flown a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells in a research project announced one year ago (H&FCL April 07).

The successful flight is the work of an engineering team at Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) here, with assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Boeing first began looking at fuel cell power for airplanes seven years ago (H&FCL Dec. 01, Sept. 03).

A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan was used as the airframe. Built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, it was modified by BR&TE to include a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller.

Three test flights took place in February and March at the airfield in Ocana, south of Madrid, operated by the Spanish company SENASA.

During the flights, the pilot of the experimental airplane climbed to an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Then, after reaching the cruise altitude and disconnecting the batteries, the pilot flew straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells.

(A more detailed version of this report will appear in the next May issue of "The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter")

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