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Boeing Working on Fuel Cell Aircraft

Posted by samzenpus on from the 12,000-AA-batteries-not-included dept.

"Boeing is working with development partners on a fuel cell-based small aircraft. It seems like a logical use of the technology. Now if they can come up with a quiet, personal-sized VTOL craft a la Paul Moller's Skycar (which is anything but quiet), we'll really have something." From the article "A Boeing research director was quoted as saying, "While Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will provide primary power for future commercial passenger airplanes, demonstrations like this help pave the way for potentially using this technology in small manned and unmanned air vehicles."

3 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Skycar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Skycar is vaporware. It has been for the last 30 years. Please don't use the Skycar as a benchmark for anything but hype and failure.

  2. Bah. by rackhamh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Their heads are in the clouds on this one. This project will never fly. I bet it stalls and they never get it off the ground. It simply flies in the face of reason. That said, the sky's the limit when it comes to technological fantasy.

  3. It's not the engines which are noisy by M0b1u5 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not the engines which are noisy on Moller's ultra-dangerous thing (I refuse to dignify it with the title "car" or "aircraft" as it is neither) it's the fans/propellers which make all the noise. You simply can't move lots of air without making a hell of a racket.

    See: Overclocked PCs, Helicopters, Jet Engine, extractor fan, air conditioner, Vacuum cleaner...

    It wouldn't matter if Moller's thing had fuel cells - it would just as noisy.

    --
    How many escape pods are there? "NONE,SIR!" You counted them? "TWICE, SIR!"