Video: Boeing flies electric/fuel cell airplane

[MetroMPG]

Via GCC:


Two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan, electric motor & hydrogen powered fuel cell

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.

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/...80403a_nr.html

[jesse.rizzo]

This is pretty cool. I'm in school right now for aviation and as much fun as it is, I've been a little bothered by the fuel consumption of aircraft. Even the 4 seat Cessna 172s that we fly for training burn roughly 10 US gallons per hour. At average cruise speed of 110 knots or 126.5 mph that's not very good.

And hypermiling is pretty much out of the question, since it affects your trip time more directly than in a car (there's no catching up to the speed demons at a red light in the air) and we rent the aircraft by the hour.

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by jesse.rizzo

This is pretty cool. I'm in school right now for aviation and as much fun as it is, I've been a little bothered by the fuel consumption of aircraft. Even the 4 seat Cessna 172s that we fly for training burn roughly 10 US gallons per hour. At average cruise speed of 110 knots or 126.5 mph that's not very good.

And hypermiling is pretty much out of the question, since it affects your trip time more directly than in a car (there's no catching up to the speed demons at a red light in the air) and we rent the aircraft by the hour.

Yea but if you're trying to build time... and if you put 3 buddies, for the 100$ cheeseburger, in the plane the cumulative FE just got respectable.

[MetroMPG]

$100 cheeseburger?

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

$100 cheeseburger?

Splitting the cost of the plane to go somewhere and eat.