Modified Dimona Glider Flies Over Spain
Boeing announced Thursday that it has, for the first time in
aviation history, flown a manned airplane powered by
hydrogen fuel cells.
The recent milestone is the work of an engineering team at
Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) in Madrid, with
assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany,
Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Boeing is actively working to develop new technologies for
environmentally progressive aerospace products," said Francisco
Escarti, BR&TE's managing director. "We are proud of our
pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell
Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we
are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as
a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team."
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen
directly into electricity and heat with none of the products of
combustion such as carbon dioxide. Other than heat, water is its
only exhaust.
A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 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 Ocaña, 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.
According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology
potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles.
Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to
secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units
for large commercial airplanes. Boeing does not envision that fuel
cells will ever provide primary power for large passenger
airplanes, but the company will continue to investigate their
potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy
sources that improve environmental performance.
BR&TE, part of the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D
unit, has worked closely with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and a
network of partners since 2003 to design, assemble and fly the
experimental craft.
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