Boeing did 1st fuel cell powered flight
Boeing flies plane powered by fuel cells
2:31p ET April 3, 2008 (MarketWatch)
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Aerospace giant Boeing Co. said Thursday that it has successfully flown the first aircraft powered by fuel-cell technology, as part of an in-house research project.
After five years of experiments through a European research unit, Boeing conducted three manned flights of a propeller-driven plane that used a combination of batteries and fuel cells to get airborne, and then flew solely on fuel-cell power. The test flights were conducted in February and March.
Boeing is not looking to power one of its jumbo passenger jets via fuel cells, but could use it as a secondary source of energy for some of its aircraft, according to spokesman Thomas Koehler. "It's more of case of us trying to explore its potential," he said.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices used to convert hydrogen directly into electricity without a combustion process. Heat and water are the only emissions produced from fuel cells, Boeing said.
The plane used in the experiments was a two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a relatively long, 53.5-foot wingspan. A longer wingspan makes it easier for a plane to glide in for a landing should it run out of power.
Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria built the base model of the plane, and Boeing modified it with the hybrid fuel/lithium-ion battery system. One of the plane's seats was taken out to accommodate the hybrid system.
The plane's pilot climbed to altitudes of 3,300 feet using a combination of battery and fuel cells, then disconnected the batteries. Then the plane was flown level at 62 miles an hour for 20 minutes using only fuel cells.
Fuel-cell technology could power small manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as auxiliary power units on commercial jets, Koehler said.
The development wasn't "terribly significant," aerospace analyst Jon Kutler said, since the cost of this technology may make it prohibitively expensive for many customers. He would like to see companies that specialize in propulsion technology, such as Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. , getting into the act.
"It's a step in the right direction," Kutler said. "I'm glad the technology's being pursued. But it's a long way from application."
Boeing funded the project entirely on its own. The company's "Phantom Works" research division oversaw the European unit that conducted the experiments, Koehler said.
Shares of Boeing were off 55 cents to $76.30 in recent action.
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