(Photo Credit: Boeing photo)
This is one small step in making a greener aviation industry. For the “first time in aviation”, Boeing airplane manufactures have successfully flew a small sized manned airplane powered by a hydrogen battery, in this year (2008). But, according to Boeing officials, they are still not expecting this method to become the main source of energy to power-up much larger passenger aircrafts.
The hydrogen battery used here is environmental friendly. It gets energy that is released during the chemical transformation process - chemical transformation of hydrogen and oxygen into water - which takes place inside the cell, to power-up the plane. Therefore, only harmless water vapor is produced as a byproduct.
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 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.
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I’m glad to find your source. Good idea. I’ll become your constant reader.
Great website and a nice article.
run your car on water…
all alternative energy sources need to be explored at this point. we can’t live off oil forever….