Boeing prepares fuel cell Motorglider

[[email protected]]

The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond
Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also performed major structural
modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5
feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100
kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) using fuel cell-provided
power.
More info and picture www.aerogazette.com

[Vaughn Simon]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond
> Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also performed major structural
> modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5
> feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100
> kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) using fuel cell-provided
> power.
> More info and picture www.aerogazette.com

The glider uses lithium batteries plus the fuel cell to get sufficient
power for launching. According to the Boeing diagram
http://boeingmedia.com/imageDetail.cfm?id=14790&clr=release it has a crazy-tiny
hydrogen (fuel) tank. First, it appears to use compressed hydrogen rather than
liquid hydrogen, but even liquid hydrogen would need significantly more volume
than an equivalent amount of gasoline. Definitely just a technology
demonstration stunt, not a practical aircraft.

Vaughn


>

[SAM 303a]

"Vaughn Simon" > wrote in message
...
>
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond
>> Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also performed major structural
>> modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5
>> feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100
>> kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) using fuel cell-provided
>> power.
>> More info and picture www.aerogazette.com
>
> The glider uses lithium batteries plus the fuel cell to get sufficient
> power for launching. According to the Boeing diagram
> http://boeingmedia.com/imageDetail.cfm?id=14790&clr=release it has a
> crazy-tiny hydrogen (fuel) tank. First, it appears to use compressed
> hydrogen rather than liquid hydrogen, but even liquid hydrogen would need
> significantly more volume than an equivalent amount of gasoline.
> Definitely just a technology demonstration stunt, not a practical
> aircraft.
>
> Vaughn
>
That may be true, but it is the coolest v1.0 technology I've seen in a
while.

[Mike Lindsay]

In article >,
Vaughn Simon > writes
>> More info and picture www.aerogazette.com
>
> Definitely just a technology
>demonstration stunt, not a practical aircraft.
>
>Vaughn
>
>
Yes. No doubt they said much the same about Orville and Wilbur's 1903
Flyer.


>>
>
>

--
Mike Lindsay

[Big John]

This could well be a system to use in Iraq. Electric motor so no
noise. IR and millimeter Radar systems aboard. Could cruise over town
and watch for IED's beng planted without the bad guys knowing they
were being watched.

Hope this is the end result.

Big John
**********************************************

On 28 Mar 2007 07:55:48 -0700, wrote:

>The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond
>Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also performed major structural
>modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5
>feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100
>kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) using fuel cell-provided
>power.
>More info and picture www.aerogazette.com