DASH-8 FLIES ON PARTIAL HYDROGEN POWER

On the morning of 2 March 2023, Universal Hydrogen, the California energy concern about the commendable endeavour of making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality flew its Lightning McClean, a De Havilland Dash 8-300 regional airliner under partial, hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion.

The test aircraft lifted off from central Washington State’s Grant County International Airport (MWH) at 08h14 PST and flew for 15 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,500-feet MSL. In preparation for the test-flight, Lightning McClean’s conventional, jet-fuel-burning, number-two (starboard) engine was replaced by a hydrogen-electric powertrain comprising Plug Power’s ProGen fuelcells specially modified for aviation use and Everett, Washington-based MagniX’s megawattclass Magni650 electric propulsion unit. However, the Dash 8’s left engine remained whilst the 2,380-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PW123 turboprop mill originally envisaged for the aircraft by Bombardier. The turboprop engine’s proven reliability offset the variables of the hydrogen-electric architecture, thereby affording the endeavour and the test-flightcrew a key degree of safety-critical redundancy.

The test-flight was conducted under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate and occasioned the first sortie of a flight-test campaign Universal Hydrogen expects to culminate with the 2025 entry into passenger service of an ATR-72 regional airliner converted to run on hydrogen. Representatives of the US and European launch customers for the hydrogen airplanes, Connect Airlines and Amelia, respectively were on-hand to witness the historic flight.

To date, Universal Hydrogen’s books contain orders totalling more than $1-billion from 16 worldwide customers seeking a collective 247 aircraft conversions. In addition to the aircraft conversions, Universal Hydrogen’s customers have contracted over $2-billion in hydrogen fuel-services over the first ten-years of hydrogen-powered flight operations.