A modified motor glider has become the first aircraft to take off solely with power generated by a hydrogen fuel cell. The Antares DLR-H2 flew as fast as 105 mph during its first flight in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, its designers said in a news release. While Boeing tested a hydrogen-powered plane last year, that aircraft required a boost from an electric motor to take off. The Antares has a 66-foot wingspan with a hydrogen tank in a pod slung below one wing and the fuel cell, which uses hydrogen to turn the drive train, slung below the other wing. A direct-drive connection means that the propeller rests at the end of a slender mast above the center of the fuselage. The designers of the Antares say it could go 470 miles in five hours; with some modifications, it might eventually fly as fast as 190 mph. There are no plans to start selling a version of the Antares. Rather, designers see it as a way to prove that hydrogen-powered aircraft can fly reliably and safely. Assuming the hydrogen is made from a renewable source (doing so can require large amounts of electricity), the plane would truly be a zero-emission vehicle, with water as its only byproduct during flight.

Scientists studying the ridges on a shark’s body think they have found ways to dramatically cut the skin friction drag on airplane wings. Wind tunnel tests on model wings have shown that using tiny jets to redirect airflow from side to side over portions of a plane’s wing can cut drag by as much as 40 percent, which could in turn make planes 20 percent more fuel efficient, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council said in a news release. The aerodynamic principle at work, called the Helmholtz resonance principle, is similar to blowing across the top of the bottle at the correct angle, which causes air to be pushed in and sucked back out. Scientists at the four United Kingdom universities doing the research hope to have a wing in flight tests by 2012. Airbus is helping to fund the work.

Nearly 100 years after the first flight over the Alps, Sunseeker II set a new record last week, becoming the first solar plane to do the same thing as it crossed from Switzerland to Italy. The 150-mile trip took about five hours and the plane climbed as high as 14,000 feet, GreenMuze reported. Sunseeker II has a small electric motor powered by lithium polymer batteries and solar panels embedded in the wings and horizontal stabilizers. The 8 horsepower motor lets the Sunseeker II cruise at 40 mph. The flight on April 14 had American pilot Eric Raymond flying between towering clouds at one point as it snowed in clear air. This was one of the first legs of Sunseeker II’s summer tour across Europe. It will now travel down the length of Italy to Mt. Etna.

Even in solar-powered planes, the fuel goes in the wings. Sunseeker II uses four lithium polymer batteries stashed there when it needs an extra boost during takeoff and climb. Those batteries will get plenty of recharging as the plane begins a tour of eight European countries this week, showing off its 56-foot-wide wings embedded with solar panels, Wired’s Autopia blog reported. The plane, designed by Solar Flight, is leap years ahead of its predecessor, Sunseeker I, a solar-powered plane unveiled 20 years ago that usually flew as a glider. Sunseeker II’s solar panels can power its 8-horsepower electric motor continuously in cruise flight, with top speeds of about 40 mpg and a maximum gross weight of 507 pounds. The plane only seats one and there aren’t plans for mass production yet, though several other companies have solar-powered planes under development. Sunseeker II is aiming to prove a point, that general aviation can have minimal environmental impact. Solar Flight will update its Web site throughout this summer’s tour, which includes stops in Italy, Zurich and Barcelona.

A new hangar completed last month at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport could set a new bar in sustainable airport buildings. Hangar 25, which is now home to a maintenance facility for fixed-base operator Avjet, features solar panels that produce 400,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, more than enough to meet the building’s own power needs, <a href=”http://3030nclybournavenue.com”>construction company Shangri-La said</a>. The hangar and offices feature windows and skylights to flood the building with natural light, while a polished concrete floor reflects light and eliminates the need for epoxy sealant. Instead of large heating and air conditioning units, the hangar relies on gigantic ceiling fans to circulate air.  The solar panels produce enough electricity to feed power carts and other equipment. And rather than using a toxic foam-based fire suppression system, Hangar 25 uses an environmentally friendly water-based system. Builders who worked on the project say many of the building techniques could be used in other buildings, from standard offices to schools and hospitals.

Economy hurts general aviation makers; very light jets take blows

The deep recession was bad news for every general aviation manufacturer as orders dried up and potential customers found they were unable to get loans for new planes. While manufacturers tried to downplay their problems, nearly every piston plane maker had to either lay off workers or reduce production schedules by this fall. Piston plane makers weren’t the only ones suffering, either. Much of Cessna’s business jet base dried up as well as corporations scaled back expansion plans and looked for ways to save as fuel hit record highs over the summer, a pattern that repeated itself at companies like Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier.

2008 was a year of truth for the fledgling very light jet industry. While Cessna pushed steadily forward with deliveries of its Mustang VLJ and Embraer started shipping the Phenom 100 to customers earlier this month, other manufacturers didn’t do so well. Adam Aircraft went bankrupt in February; its new owners hope to certify the A700 jet by 2010 but have abandoned the centerline-thrust A500 turboprop. In September, air taxi company DayJet went belly up, foreshadowing Eclipse’s bankruptcy just before Thanksgiving. Eclipse’s assets are set to go on the auction block in early January, leaving the fate of the pioneering VLJ unclear for now.

Small planes offer promise in fold-up models

The bright spot for general aviation this year was in the progress made on small planes. Cessna’s light sport aircraft, the Model 162 SkyCatcher, began flight tests. One test plane was destroyed in a crash during spin testing (the pilot parachuted and landed unhurt), and Cessna said in response it was making minor design changes to improve the 162’s aerodynamics. Cessna plans to start delivering the planes in late 2009 or early 2010. Another segment that had the public’s attention this year: light sport planes that could fit in a driveway. Icon Aircraft began flight tests of its A5, an amphibious model with fold-up wings that will allow the plane to be transported on a small trailer. The company aims to have the A5 in production by late 2010. If being able to drive your plane into your driveway is more appealing, Terragufia hopes to have an answer. The company is in the early phases of testing a plane that could convert into a small car after it lands at an airport. Its makers call the plane a “roadable aircraft” to separate it from the ill-fated “flying cars” that have failed to take off in the past. The Terrafugia would be certified as a light sport aircraft with a 460-mile range in the air. Motors would fold the wings after landing and it would fit in a standard automobile garage.

FAA, Air Force find themselves in hot water

StudentPilot.com readers agreed that the scandal involving Southwest Airlines and the FAA was one of the most newsworthy government-related aviation stories in 2008. Mid-level managers at the FAA tacitly let Southwest skip mandatory fuselage inspections that would have checked for fatigue cracks, and the airline flew dozens of flights on planes that weren’t airworthy as a result. When the news broke, the scandal quickly broadened. Whistleblowers throughout the FAA said they had been pressured to turn a blind eye on maintenance lapses. As a result, American, Delta and United all grounded planes for various reasons, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations last spring. The FAA fined Southwest more than $10 million for its inspection lapses and pledged internal reforms, including new systems that would let employees report incidents without being intimidated by their bosses.

Other government agencies had their share of trouble in 2008, too. The U.S. Air Force struggled, and failed, to seal the deal on a $35-billion contract to replace its fleet of aging KC-135 midair refueling tankers. The two bidders were Boeing, which proposed a modified 767, and Airbus, which would have used a variant of the larger A330. When the Air Force awarded the contract to Airbus, Boeing cried foul, arguing that the Pentagon had changed the rules in the middle of the bidding process and had given Airbus more credit for its larger airframe. The Air Force initially said it would reevaluate both planes, but then scrapped the entire contract when Boeing said it would need more time to tweak the 777 for the tanker program. With all efforts stalled for several months, it will be up to Barack Obama’s administration to pick up the pieces.

Boeing struggles through challenges

If the tanker contract put Boeing in the defensive for the first part of the year, a crippling two-month strike left it in that position for the rest of the year. Its Machinists union, which includes many assembly line workers, hit the picket line in early September. Concerns over how Boeing would outsource future aircraft manufacturing work were among the top concerns for the union. In early November, Machinists voted overwhelmingly in favor of a four-year contract — one year longer than usual — that assures substantial pay raises but does not give workers much protection from outsourcing. The two-month strike meant Boeing’s production lines were idle for that time, setting the company behind in orders it had booked and giving Airbus a chance to pull ahead in deliveries for the year. The strike also meant another delay for the 787 Dreamliner, now expected to fly for the first time in mid-2009.

A Chinese manufacturer could be a future competitor for the likes of Bombardier when it comes to regional jets. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China announced in November that the nation’s first regional jet had completed its maiden flight. The ARJ21 will seat up to 90 passengers with a range of about 2,000 nautical miles. So far, the ARJ21 has booked more than 200 orders, mainly from Chinese airlines. If it looks like an MD-90, that’s because it uses much of the same fuselage tooling, though the ARJ21 has a completely new wing design. Expect the plane to take to the skies with passengers aboard in the next year.

2009: The year of green aviation?

When Jet-A prices spiked in the summer of 2008, airlines responded by raising fares, tacking on fuel surcharges, and making customers pay for checked luggage. But industry executives also acknowledged that they needed to start looking for ways to save fuel in the long term. Different fuels could be one solution. Early in 2008, Virgin Atlantic successfully tested a 20-percent biofuel mix in one of the engines of a 747 on a flight from London to Amsterdam. Sometime in early 2009, Continental, Air New Zealand and Japan Air Lines are all expected to make test flights using biofuel mixtures. The promise of using a blend of biolfuel and Jet-A is that it would save money without requiring substantial alterations to jet engines. The tests in the coming year could provide an indication of how realistic those hopes are. Simpler changes could save airlines money, too. Air New Zealand showed off how an optimized descent at the end of a long-haul flight could save thousands of pounds of fuel. The test required hefty coordination with air traffic controllers beforehand, though. Making the practice widespread would require that controllers move away from issuing step-down descents, which use more fuel because jet engines must spool up each time a plane levels off at a lower altitude.

For more year-in-review recaps, take a look at the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, which highlighted some of its successes in 2008. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association took at look at many of the low points in general aviation in the past year and also reviewed some of the pilots who made the news.

Vote by this Sunday, Dec. 28, to add your voice to StudentPilot’s aviation news year in review.

Students at the University of Michigan flew a remote-control plane powered by a propane fuel cell for more than 10 hours recently, besting the previous record for such a flight by an hour and 15 minutes. The Endurance remote-control plane has an 8-foot wingspan and flew laps in a holding pattern over the course of a day, according to a news release from the University of Michigan. Adaptive Materials, a nearby company that develops fuel cells, contributed the fuel cell used in Endurance. The plane could have flown for about five more hours, but was not equipped with the lights needed for night flight. The Oct. 30 test flight went from sunrise to sunset on that day. It indicates that with the right kind of fuel cells, small unmanned aerial vehicles could stay aloft for nearly a day at a time on military or surveillance missions. The students who developed Endurance are already planning a future 20-hour test flight. The team of engineering students is also working on a solar-powered plane that could stay aloft for 36 hours.