[BITList] Claims Galore Re: [indaviation] Ever Wondered "Whither Indian Aviation Industry"?

[John Feltham]

Airplane Launches On Fuel-Cell Power






This Tuesday, the Antares DLR-H2 took off at Hamburg Airport in  
Germany using only power from fuel cells, a feat that its builders say  
is a first for a piloted aircraft. The motorglider, built by the  
German Aerospace Center, flies with zero carbon-dioxide emissions and  
is much quieter than similar aircraft. "This motorglider achieves new  
quality standards in the field of high-efficiency, zero-emission  
energy conversion and clearly demonstrates the progress that has been  
made in fuel-cell technology," the Aerospace Center said in a news  
release. The DLR-H2 is based on the Antares 20E motorglider, and has a  
wingspan of 66 feet. With its fuel-cell propulsion system, the  
aircraft can stay aloft for five hours and reach speeds of about 105  
mph.



"With our successful first flight, we have verified the feasibility of  
fuel-cell-powered flight and our next steps will focus on improving  
efficiency levels and on extending the service life of these systems,"  
said Dr. Josef Kallo, Antares project manager from the DLR Institute  
for Technical Thermodynamics. "At this stage, we have only tapped into  
a fraction of the performance capabilities of this technology for  
aerospace applications. The Antares DLR-H2 will help us to make much  
greater use of these areas of potential." To accommodate the fuel cell  
and its hydrogen supply, two external pods were attached under the  
aircraft's wings, which were reinforced to carry the load. The total  
efficiency of the drive system from tank to powertrain, including the  
propeller, is about 44 percent, making it about twice as efficient as  
conventional propulsion technologies based on combustion processes,  
according to the Aerospace Center. For more details about the project,  
click here to read the Aerospace Center's lengthy news release.


ooroo

Bad typists of the word, untie.




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