The German company H2FLY said that its passenger hydrogen aircraft HY4 for the first time for its type rose to an altitude of more than 2,200 meters, and also flew between two airports.
Many developed countries are actively converting transport to carbon-neutral propulsion systems. Engineers have managed to achieve great success in cars, so electric cars are quickly gaining market share, and in some countries they have already overtaken cars with internal combustion engines. In aviation, there are also projects of electric airplanes and electric air taxis, but they all face an unresolved problem: modern batteries have too much mass and store too little energy to create at least a medium-range electric aircraft. Because of this, aircraft manufacturers are also developing technologies for hydrogen aircraft, because this fuel itself has a much higher specific energy, that is, it gives more energy at the same mass as other fuels. However, hydrogen aircraft fuel efficiency is compensated by the need to use large and heavy high-pressure tanks. Because of this, it is not yet clear which type of aircraft will eventually be optimal.
The HY4 hydrogen aircraft made its first flight in 2016. It is made on the basis of a two-body Pipistrel Taurus Electro G4 electric aircraft, designed for four people. It has two tanks containing nine kilograms of hydrogen each, and fuel cells that convert it into electricity for the engine and lithium-ion batteries that increase peak power. It is assumed that in ideal conditions and minimal loading, the aircraft can fly up to one and a half thousand kilometers.
On April 12, H2FLY conducted another HY4 test and set two records for hydrogen aircraft at once. First, he climbed to a height of 7,230 feet (2,200 meters). Secondly, the plane flew between the two airports for the first time, departing from Stuttgart, where the company's headquarters is located, and reaching Friedrichshafen, where the car will be shown to the public for the first time at an air show on April 27. The flight distance was 124 kilometers. Previously, all test flights were carried out in the Stuttgart area.
HY4 serves as a flying laboratory where engineers test the technologies needed for a larger project — a 40-seat passenger liner . It is assumed that he will be able to overcome up to 2000 kilometers at a speed of more than 500 kilometers per hour.
Grigory Kopiev
