Boeing flies hydrogen fuel cell plane

Boeing 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 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.

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.

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.

The group of companies, universities and institutions participating in this project includes:

· Austria – Diamond Aircraft Industries

· France – SAFT France

· Germany – Gore and MT Propeller

· Spain – Adventia, Aerlyper, Air Liquide Spain, Indra, Ingeniería de Instrumentación y Control (IIC), Inventia, SENASA, Swagelok, Técnicas Aeronauticas de Madrid (TAM), Tecnobit, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Regional Government of Madrid

· United Kingdom – Intelligent Energy

· United States – UQM Technologies.

New director to head up Radius corporate sales in North America

Radius announced that Edyta Citron has joined the organization as Director, Multinational Corporate Sales North America to head up the corporate sales effort in the region. Citron works with Radius travel agencies in North America to develop service standards for their corporate clients that are consistent globally and tailored to reflect local conditions and capabilities.

Citron, based at the Radius head office in Washington DC, implements the Radius travel management consolidation sales strategy in coordination with Radius travel agencies. Citron has a background in GDS and travel technology product development. Previously, she worked for four years for Worldspan\Travelport in the UK and the US as a product strategist, and for three years for the Baltona Foreign Trade Company in Poland as tourism and logistics manager and department head for the ISO quality department.

Citron offered: “It is my aim to help Radius corporate clients continue to consolidate their travel needs. North America is pivotal in the growth of the travel consolidation trend, and I will serve as a vital link between our agencies in the region and around the world.”

Commenting on the appointment, Kieran Hartwell, Vice President for Multinational Corporate Sales noted: “Edyta is ideally suited to achieve the objectives of the Radius multinational corporate sales initiative. We will certainly benefit first-hand from her expertise to ensure that Radius is responsive, innovative and efficient in the complex US corporate travel management space.”