France Marks First Crewed Hydrogen-Electric Flight

French startup Beyond Aero has announced it flew a crewed LSA-sized demonstrator aircraft based on a ULA G1 using a hydrogen-electric propulsion system. It's the first step in eventually creating a hydrogen-powered business aircraft. The little plane, dubbed the Bleriot, took off from Gap-Tallard, France, in early January with test pilot Paul Prudent at the controls. After a lap around the field, Prudent went on to complete an initial flight test program that included 10 takeoffs and landings and two longer flights over the next six weeks to validate the 85-kW propulsion system.

The motor was powered using a ratio of two-thirds gaseous hydrogen to one-third on battery power. It stores 1.2 kg of hydrogen in three onboard tanks compressed to almost 5,000 psi. "This successful flight test campaign underscores the feasibility of the manufacturer's powertrain architecture, with the goal of making possible, certifiable and profitable, the first electric business aircraft designed for hydrogen propulsion within the decade," the company said.