In a first, Boeing flies hydrogen-powered plane

In a first, Boeing flies hydrogen-powered plane

www.breitbart.com

US aircraft giant Boeing claimed Thursday a world first in putting into the air a plane powered by a hydrogen-cell battery, a breakthrough that could herald a greener future for the industry.

"For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery," Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy said.

The development was "a historical technological success for Boeing (and) ... full of promises for a greener future."

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[edit on 4/4/2008 by biggie smalls]

This is great news for renewable energy! We no longer have to rely on the fossil fuel giants for power, and hopefully can start to leave the middle east to its own accord.

While hydrogen may not be the answer to the problem of energy, this is at least a step in the right direction. Aside from the fact that hydrogen is more flammable than gasoline, it is quite expensive to create.

If we want cheap, renewable energy, biodiesel created from algae seems to be a great alternative.

This flight was only a small test to see if hydrogen fuel cells actually worked in flight:

The company said that although hydrogen fuel cells could be used to power small planes it did not believe they could become the primary power source for large passenger aircraft.

We are still going to need combustible fuel to power larger aircrafts because of an issue of lift. In a previous thread, I believe it was Zaphod who mentioned a fuel source the military is testing could be an alternative to our current system. The problem is that its not quite as renewable as an annual crop.

The test plane was a small, white prop-driven aircraft capable of carrying two people.

It flew at a speed of 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour for about 20 minutes at an altitude of some 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) using only the hydrogen battery for power and with just the pilot on board.

A short test, but a success nonetheless.

Renewable energy here we come! A viable future.

www.breitbart.com
(visit the link for the full news article)