Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the largest aircraft in the skies, announced this week that it has successfully performed the first ever test flight of a manned aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The aircraft in question is of course a small two seat plane based on the frame of a motor glider, and not a passenger jet, but it is another significant step forward in the search for alternative fuels for aircraft.

The recent milestone is the work of an engineering team at Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) in Madrid, but it was a true international achievement as the team had assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"Boeing is actively working to develop new technologies for environmentally progressive aerospace products," said Francisco Escarti, BR&TE's managing director. "We are proud of our pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team."

Three test flights took place in February and March at the airfield in Ocaña, south of Madrid, and the pilot of the experimental airplane climbed to an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Then, after reaching the cruise altitude and disconnecting the batteries, the pilot flew straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells.

According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles. Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes. Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will ever provide primary power for large passenger airplanes, but the company will continue to investigate their potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy sources that improve environmental performance.