Universal Hydrogen voló for the first time a avión regional from 40 passengers using propulsionófuel no. hydrateógeno.
the grandfatherón, apodado Lightning McClean, took offó at 8:41 am PST from Grant County International Airport (KMWH) and voló during 15 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3.500 meters. The flight, carried out under a Special Certificate of Airworthiness of the FAA, was the first in a fieldña flight test two añwhich is expected to culminate in 2025 with the entry into service of passengers of regional aircraft ATR 72 converted to run on hydroógeno.
First avi flightón regional with hydroógeno
Representatives of Connect Airlines and Amelia, American and European launch customers of the aircraft hydrateógeno, respectively, were present to witness the historyórich flight. The compañía has a portfolio of orders in ráI ask for growth, which currently amounts to a total of 247 aircraft conversions 16 clients all over the world, with a total of más de 1.000 millions of dólars in overdue conversions and más de 2.000 millions of dólares in fuel services during the first ten toñoperating instructions.
In this first test flight, one of the aircraft's turbine enginesón was replaced by the megawatt-class powerplant theéUniversal Hydrogen fuel cell unit. The other followedó being a conventional engine for flight safety. The flight was piloted by Alex Kroll, an experienced former A-Force test pilotéevil of USA and the company's main test pilotñía.
“During the second circuit over the airport, we feel cómodes with hydraulic engine performanceógeno, so we were able to back into the fuel turbine engine fósil to demonstrate that cruising is mainly based on energyíof hydrógeno”, Kroll said. “the grandfatherón he flewó wonderfully, noise and vibrations from the car engineéfuel lula are significantly más lower than those of the conventional turbine engine”.
The company's special engineñía isá built around the ProGen family of céPlug Power fuel squid, specially modified for aviation useón. One of the aspects úunique to the designñOr is it that the motor does not use a battery?ía (the Céfuel cells drive the engineéelectricity directly), which reduces drástatically the weight and cost. The motor, a propulsion unitón theémodified ctrica magni650, and the electrósingle power were supplied by Everett-based magniX. AeroTEC, based in seattle, prestó assistance in engineering tasksía, among them the designñor modified headlight structure, He saysñor and integrationón of aircraft systems, así such as aircraft modifications and installationón of the powertrain hydrateógeno universal in the avióflight test number, made in less than 12 months.
The test flight follows successful demonstrations in December 2022 of the log systemímodular aesthetic hydrateógeno of Universal Hydrogen carried out in the engineering centerífrom the company in Toulouse (France).
The compañía, backed by GE Aviation, Airbus Ventures, Toyota Ventures, JetBlue Ventures y American Airlines, así as several of the largest producers of hydrateógeno green world and top-tier financial investors, plans to switch from regional aircraft to más large and deliver hydro fuelógeno for other mobility applications using its log networkímodular aesthetics.
About Universal Hydrogen
Universal Hydrogen isá building a log networkíhydra sticógene to drive the future of aviationón, hoy. The hydrateógeno It is the ideal fuel for flight and feedingá the new age aviation goldón, where planes run on energyías renewable and do not emit máyes what water. The Cámodular hydro capsulesócompany's goods pass through the existing cargo network from productionón directly to the avión anywhere in the world. Universal Hydrogen también isá working to certify a conversion kitón engine to adapt existing regional aircraft to fly on hydroógeno.
