| On a bright, blue morning at Hamburg Airport, the | | | | history making when the aircraft giant put the |
| aeronautics industry came a giant step closer to | | | | first manned hydrogen-powered aircraft into the |
| changing the future path of alternative energy | | | | air above Ocana, Spain. The plane, a small, white |
| aircraft. That's the morning that the Antares DLR | | | | prop-driven two-passenger model, had a flying |
| H-2 motor glider became the first aircraft in | | | | time of 45 minutes. The pilot shared the cockpit |
| history to take off solely under hydrogen cell | | | | with a battery pack in the passenger seat. Once |
| power. While both the Antares and a Boeing | | | | airborne, the plane was powered solely by |
| hydrogen fuel cell powered plane have flown | | | | hydrogen though it used electricity from the |
| before, Tuesday, July 7, 2009 marks the first | | | | plane's battery to get into the air. At the time, a |
| time that any manned aircraft has achieved | | | | Boeing spokesman said that hydrogen cells might |
| lift-off without the assistance of a hybrid electric | | | | be used to power small planes in the future, but |
| motor. | | | | were unlikely to become "the primary energy |
| The Antares DLR H-2 was developed by the | | | | source for commercial airplanes." |
| German Aerospace Center - Deutsches Zentrum | | | | In just 16 months, the DLR had brought the |
| für Luft- und Raumfahrt, shortened to DLR | | | | research on hydrogen cell airplanes to the point of |
| in common speech. Lange Aviation, BASF Fuel | | | | a manned takeoff relying solely on the power |
| Cells and Serenergy, a Danish company that | | | | provided by the experimental hydrogen fuel cells. |
| provides hydrogen fuel cells for DLR's flight | | | | The agency expects that further research and |
| research. The small craft is capable of speeds up | | | | optimisation will give the Antares the capability of |
| to 187 miles per hour, though it only reached 105 | | | | flying 300 kilometres per hour. The light plane's |
| miles per hour on its maiden hydrogen-powered | | | | time in air has increased from 45 minutes to 4.5 |
| takeoff, thanks to the extra weight of additional | | | | hours, and its range has increased to 750 |
| hydrogen cells. | | | | kilometres. |
| History of Hydrogen Cell Experiment Planes | | | | The Future of Hydrogen Cell Planes |
| The development of hydrogen-powered airplanes | | | | While the DLR has stopped short of saying that |
| has been rapid. The first full-size hydrogen cell | | | | the hydrogen cell experiment will be able to solely |
| aircraft took to the air in August, 2006 in Los | | | | power a commercial aircraft anytime soon, the |
| Angeles, California. At just about the same time, | | | | agency is already working toward making |
| researchers at Georgia Institute for Technology | | | | hydrogen fuel cells that will provide auxiliary power |
| also launched an unmanned aerial vehicle powered | | | | for those commercial aircraft. For the next three |
| by hydrogen fuel cells. Both flew for several | | | | years, the Antares will make its home at the |
| minutes on pure hydrogen power, but required a | | | | Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg where it will serve |
| boost from the airplane's battery to get airborne. | | | | as a flying test platform for new hydrogen cell |
| Less than a year later on April 6, 2007, the DLR | | | | experiments and developments. If the DLR's plans |
| made history when their Hyfish took off over the | | | | go as expected, it may be as little as five years |
| hills of Bern, Switzerland without the assistance of | | | | before hydrogen fuel cells are being used to |
| any hybrid power source. | | | | provide on board power for large capacity |
| Almost a year later to the day, Boeing joined the | | | | airplanes. |