SunHydrogen Inc (HYSR)

[tradeherpete]

tj,
Thanks for the leg work.

Gas and some form of diesel, Jet A have always been the aviation fuels. We have an image of what a plane or jet looks like in some part due to the energy/weight of these fuels. The design reflects the requirements.

Rounding your numbers a little; 1 lb hydrogen = 60k btu. I lb gas - 20k btu.
Hydrogen takes 3X the space or volume.

The designers and computers will show us a hydrogen plane soon maybe. I think it will be extremely light. The weight of the structure will be reduced. Again, I think shorter wings. Maybe fatter wings. Maybe the lifting body will make a comeback if they can figure a way to efficiently pressurize it. Shorter runways. Airbus has it right going out of the atmosphere. It's going to be a fat boy. It'll go straight up, get into wispy sky and scream like a demon. Maybe commuter planes will just have radically different profiles. Go straight up and glide down. You only have to go 15 miles up and things get really different. It will be a headache for Air Traffic Control with all the climbing and descending. There will prolly be climb and descent corridors rather than Jet and Victor airways.

The design will reflect the requirements. It might be a hybrid Space Shuttle looking thing with heat tiles and composite construction. The Skunk Works boys and girls are prolly on it. Burt Rutan is retired but I'll bet he has already designed it. A few times.