3 june
The first flight of a hydrogen-electric aircraft took place between two commercial airports, reports High-tech portal. Stuttgart-based hydrogen aviation startup H2Fly announced that it had lifted the HY4 aircraft to a height of 2,203 m and thus broke the record among vehicles of this type. The flight was part of a demonstration of the AERO Friedrichshafen airshow in Germany.
"This is an outstanding achievement for H2Fly. No other hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft has so far flown between the two commercial airports. We are also very pleased that we have set a new world record by climbing to such a height on our HY4 aircraft. We would like to thank our long–standing partners: Stuttgart Airport, Ulm University, the Research Institute in Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen Airport and AERO Friedrichshafen exhibition for their support in our mission to make eco-friendly travel a reality," said Professor Dr. Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2Fly.
According to H2Fly, the HY4 became the world's first hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft when it first took to the air in 2016. The company completed a major funding round in April 2021. HY4 is a four–seat aircraft powered by an eco-friendly fuel cell. Hydrogen reacts with oxygen and is converted into electricity and water. Thus, the only emission is water, which is harmless compared to carbon emissions from traditional aviation. The founders of H2Fly believe that in the future a modified hydrogen-electric aircraft will be able to carry up to 40 passengers over a distance of 2,000 km.
Photo © Aerospace America