Hydrogen-powered helicopter makes first piloted flight

The first crewed hydrogen-powered helicopter flight recently took off in Quebec

The historic March 27th test flight was the first time a piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter

went beyond a hover test, going through all the stages required for a full flight

I think a lot of people underestimate what it takes to get a pilot on board such a vehicle

with the hydrogen and all the safety aspect of the demonstration. Hydrogen has long been touted as a more sustainable fuel source

since its combustion produces only water and energy as byproducts. See those white plumes coming off the back of the helicopter

That isn't smoke, it's steam. But in order to be safe for human flight, burning clean isn't enough

Should there be an anticipated leak in one of the fuel lines, you want to ensure that the way the hydrogen will disperse into the atmosphere

is done in a safe way. So with the proper amount of ventilation, for example

or under other circumstances where you would have a large quantity of hydrogen leaking from the system due to a malfunction

You want to make sure that the venting system is physically located at the right spot on the aircraft to ensure that you're minimizing the risks of having hydrogen accumulation in any of the areas

Safety is always key in aviation. And with hydrogen in particular, it's hard not to think of the most famous hydrogen-related aviation disaster in history, the Hindenburg

A lot of consideration on proper segregation between the high voltage component and the hydrogen fuel feed system to minimize the risks of igniting the hydrogen in case of a leak

Aircraft that move forward like planes have air flowing constantly into the engine to cool it

But aircraft that hover in place like helicopters need to create cooling without that type of airflow

You may have noticed on some of the recordings and video of the flight that we had two big nacelles on each side of the helicopter

So those are cooling pods. The helicopter being used was a modified Robinson R44 And Robinson was a partner in this test flight along with a company called Unither Bioelectronics whose parent company is aimed at creating an unlimited supply

of transplantable organs. And we've basically decided to introduce sustainable aviation into

that organ delivery network. Sustainability also aligns with the company's mission as a public

benefit corporation. The shorter flights and smaller aircrafts used for organ transplantation

also make this a good platform for developing this type of sustainable flight technology

Hydrogen holds more energy per weight than batteries, making it a strong choice for aviation

but batteries are still helpful for managing parts of the flight that demand extra energy

like takeoff and landing. The air taxi company Joby has also bet big on a hydrogen electric system

flying over 500 miles using this combination in their uncrewed demonstrator vehicle in 2024

Currently, the power system is very heavy. So in terms of next step, I think one of the

challenges will be the reduction in weight of the fuel cell system, including the cooling. There are

very promising technologies out there basically result in a lower empty weight fraction of the

aircraft, even considering the fuel cell system weight, etc. So freeing up some of the empty weight

fraction and transferring that weight budget to the actual useful payload, meaning pilots and organs

The main hurdles to more widespread hydrogen adoption as a fuel source in general

and aviation in particular, are building out the infrastructure, scaling up to reduce costs, and satisfying safety regulations

The aviation industry has to really see a long-term vision like 20, 30 years

starting maybe in the next five years with small aircrafts that only requires 20 kilograms of hydrogen for roughly 200 nautical mile mission

In terms of the energy resilience and energy dominance, hydrogen has to be part of the solutions

And of course, you know, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. What do you think of hydrogen powered flight

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