UK Firms Merge To Build Hydrogen Hybrid Airplanes

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Simple Flying is reporting British firms Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions are merging to create a series of hydrogen-electric fuel cell aircraft, the first of which is expected to be in service in 2026. Britten-Norman still makes the Islander light twin commuter and cargo aircraft, and the first hybrid design from the new company will be based on the nine-seat Islander, which has been in service for 50 years. Cranfield has been working on hydrogen propulsion systems for several years and is now working on the setup for the Islander.

Once the hybrid Islander is flying, the company wants to retrofit an existing 10- to 19-seat commuter aircraft and have it flying by 2028. Then, the company hopes to build a clean-sheet 20- to 50-passenger aircraft built specifically for the new propulsion system. They hope to have that in the air by 2032. A 50- to 100-seat design is in the far future, the company says. The merging of Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions will create a new market leader in green aircraft manufacturing, bringing together joint strengths in aerospace manufacturing, certification and innovation,” said Britten-Norman CEO William Hynett.

Russ Niles
Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Since it takes more energy to generate (and then cool) Hydrogen than you ever get from using it, I’m not so sure it lowers cost or total emissions.

    • I have no feel for the power-weight ratio of these hydrogen fuel cell systems, but a lot of people do seem to think it can work. But you are right, the inefficiencies & disadvantages inherent in all these combustion-alternatives don’t get the attention than they deserve.

    • True, but that’s not why it is being pursued. Its an answer to the demands of an agenda. And as such it is superior to battery powered airplanes which will likely never be practical.

  2. Agreed, it’s an answer to a question generated by an agenda. That’s how many aircraft designs have started. Time will tell if the design (or the agenda) work out as put forward.

  3. “Even small amounts of liquid hydrogen can be explosive when combined with air, and only a small amount of energy is required to ignite it. Both its explosiveness and the extremely low temperatures involved make handling it safely a challenge.” Source: NASA

    “Hydrogen has a wide range of flammable concentrations in air and lower ignition energy than gasoline or natural gas, which means it can ignite more easily. Consequently, adequate ventilation and leak detection are important elements in the design of safe hydrogen systems.” Source: Energy.gov

    “Hydrogen fuel is much more efficient than gasoline, but it’s also four times more expensive, roughly equivalent to about $16 a gallon.” Source: calmatters.org

    “The energy in 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of hydrogen gas is about the same as the energy in 1 gallon (6.2 pounds, 2.8 kilograms) of gasoline. Because hydrogen has a low volumetric energy density, it is stored onboard a vehicle as a compressed gas to achieve the driving range of conventional vehicles.” Source: Energy.gov

    • The physical properties of Hydrogen have been well known for a long time. The use of hydrogen as a fuel looks like was started in the 1800’s. That means that Hydrogen has been tried and failed as a viable fuel for a very long time. Nothing is new in this field so expecting it as “the future” overlooks an awful lot of history.

  4. The physical properties of Hydrogen have been well known for a long time. The use of hydrogen as a fuel looks like was started in the 1800’s. That means that Hydrogen has been tried and failed as a viable fuel for a very long time. Nothing is new in this field so expecting it as “the future” overlooks an awful lot of history.

  5. In the world of transportation fuels, hydrogen is a relative newcomer. For centuries, wood was the preferred fuel because it is so widely available. Wood got replaced by coal, which then was replaced by liquid petroleum. In each case, people figured out how to efficiently mine the raw material, refine it into a useable form and how to transport and store it for use when needed. Petroleum is an ideal fuel because it is easily stored and transported, plus it has a high energy concentration per unit of volume. A hundred years ago, petroleum was considered extremely dangerous compared with coal, but then we learned to work with it and deal with its hazards. As mentioned above, hydrogen is also energy dense, but more difficult to produce, transport and store. We know a lot about its issues, but so far we have only used it as a transportation fuel in very small amounts – mostly as rocket fuel. It will take time to develop the infrastructure for large scale production, transport and storage. In that process we will also discover ways to make the system more efficient and cost effective, just as we have done before. The beauty of hydrogen is that in addition to use in fuel cells, it can easily be adapted to existing internal combustion engines without creating carbon emissions. And, it is an endless resource because when we use it, we just create more raw material (water). Bottom line; give it time, there are really smart people working on it.

    • “And, it is an endless resource”

      Actually, it’s not a resource.
      What’s worse is that it takes more energy to create than we get back.
      It’s a net loss going forward.

  6. I worked for an aerospace company in LA that operated a very large vanpool operation for employees. SOME of the vans ran on propane. Because our round trip distance was SO far, we had to fill the thing every day. And, we lived in fear of being trapped on the freeway system and running out of propane. Another “better idea” that didn’t work out too well. A hydrogen powered airplane will have the same problem.

    • “Hope in one hand and shit in the other. See which one fills up first!”
      ― Mark Greaney, Dead Eye

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