Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard has a new innovative aviation project up his sleeve.

Together with his co-pilot André Borschberg, Piccard made headlines in 2016 after completing a global circumnavigation on the solar-powered Solar Impulse aircraft, a journey that took more than a year to complete in multiple stages.

In a continued exploration of alternative, more sustainable technologies to propel the future of flight, Piccard aims to fly around the world again, but this time on a hydrogen-powered aircraft.

AUDIO AVAILABLE AT FULL ARTICLE. Study marks Canada’s first major exploration into hydrogen-powered aviation.

YVR revealed this week it’s partnering on a feasibility study with Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, aerospace giant Airbus SE and hydrogen-electric aircraft developer ZeroAvia.

It is the first time a study of this magnitude has taken place in Canada to pioneer hydrogen for the aviation sector, according to Tuesday’s (May 21) announcement.

“We know when it comes to climate change, aviation isn’t the enemy, carbon is,” YVR president and CEO Tamara Vrooman said in a statement.

“The collaboration between Airbus, ZeroAvia and the three biggest airports in Canada will help identify the changes required in our industry and supporting ecosystem to meet carbon reduction goals.”

The study is expected to provide a better understanding of hydrogen aircraft concepts and operations, as well as supply, infrastructure and refuelling needs at airports, as part of an effort to develop the hydrogen aviation ecosystem across the country, according to the announcement.

A revolutionary concept in aviation, the Sky OV supersonic hydrogen jet, designed by Spanish designer Oscar Viñal, aims to transform air travel with its innovative “wingless” design and zero-emission propulsion system. Capable of carrying up to 300 passengers at speeds of up to 1,141 mph (Mach 1.5), the Sky OV could cut flight times between London and New York to under five hours, compared to the current eight-hour journey.

The Sky OV’s unique delta design integrates the fuselage and wings into a single structure, offering significantly more cabin space than traditional jets. Viñal’s vision for luxury air travel includes features like private rooms with leather sofas, dining tables, flat-screen TVs, noise-cancelling headsets, double beds, full-height showers, and an in-flight chef.

The jet’s propulsion system will combine hydrogen fuel and electric power, achieving zero emissions at supersonic speeds. Instead of traditional turbojets, it will use a Hybrid Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE) and a turbofan, along with a magnetic levitation system to eliminate fan blades and reduce drag, improving fuel economy.

Two energy companies announced plans Wednesday to establish a $1.5 billion hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel hub at Pittsburgh International Airport — if the Treasury Department adopts favorable tax subsidy rules.

The swing state project increases pressure on the Biden administration to change course on hydrogen tax rules it proposed in December.

KeyState Energy and CNX Resources — which have signed a letter of intent for the project — said they envision building a facility that can produce up to 68,000 metric tons of hydrogen annually or 70 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel a year. The site could also produce both fuels simultaneously at lower volumes than those maximum amounts, the companies said.

The Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance (HIA) believes that hydrogen is an appropriate solution for air transport and needs to be supported.

[…] Created in September 2023, the HIA brings together a number of players including Airbus, easyJet, GKN Aerospace, Ørsted, Rolls-Royce, ZeroAvia and Bristol Airport. The alliance has just published a recent activity report which suggests a roadmap to the British authorities. It also expressed its views on the development of hydrogen in an article published on the website of the Institution Of Mechanical Engineers, an organisation with 114,000 members in 140 countries.

The paper states from the start that there are no miracle solutions. Today, there is a lot of talk about sustainable fuels (SAF, which can be derived from biofuels or obtained from hydrogen and CO2). They are available as a 50% blend and will increase to 100% by the end of the decade. But their share will only be 6% in Europe in 2030 and 10% in the UK.

ZeroAvia today announced that it will be offering some of its key components designed for its hydrogen-electric engines to other clean aviation innovators.

The move allows ZeroAvia to build upon the multi-billion dollar per annum market for its hydrogen-electric powertrain family, maximizing the company’s investment in R&D and its strategy of vertical integration, as well as furthering the company’s impact on reducing environmental harm from aviation.

With the certification work for the ZA600 engine for up to 20 seat aircraft underway, and the underpinning technology for the ZA2000 engine for up to 90 seat aircraft in advanced development, ZeroAvia has conducted component market research and sees significant opportunity in the following areas:

IHI tasked with developing giant 4MW model, while industrial group Toray to investigate expanding use to 80-seat aircraft.

The Japanese government has promised a combined ¥17.3bn ($110m) to two hydrogen research projects, one of which aims to build and demonstrate a prototype of a massive 4MW fuel cell propulsion system for use in aviation — the biggest known to be under development in the world — within five years.

Built by a Swiss startup in Spain, Destinus is a hydrogen-powered supersonic aircraft that could potentially reduce flight times, while improving efficiency.
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The speed of sound varies depending on different factors, for example, the speed of sound underwater isn’t the same as the one on the ground.

It even changes depending on altitude, but the consensus is that the speed of sound equates to 1,235 km/h, so presumably this means Destinus could be capable of flying at least at that speed.

That’s nowhere near as fast as the Concorde, which was in fact nearly twice as fast, but still faster than any major airliner today.

NOVAdev Hydrogen Flux Capacitor is scalable for large and small aircraft applications. Shown here as an element of the hydrogen storage system for a 3,200 nautical mile advanced turboelectric air freighter.

Transformative innovation holds hydrogen in a solid-state at lower pressure and 30% greater storage density than liquid hydrogen alone. We store hydrogen as a compact solid at low pressure. That is as transformative for hydrogen as LEDs for lighting.”— Michael Kramer, NOVAdev…

Alaka’i Technologies is betting a new multicopter using challenging liquid hydrogen for fuel will carve out a niche and bring it financial success in an eVTOL aircraft marketplace.

Liquid hydrogen has long existed as a fuel for forklifts and motor vehicles, but has yet to be successfully implemented in aviation. It is less efficient as a fuel source than traditional energy-dense jet fuel and is less convenient to handle, Dan Patt, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., told Vertical.

Liquid hydrogen has little existing infrastructure to transport to the aircraft and store on the ground. Liquid hydrogen is also very expensive to use because it requires complex storage systems to account