Foundation Unveils World's First Fuel-Cell-Powered Electric Aircraft; Engineer Who Invented Laptop Teams with Astronaut, Famed Pilots, High-Tech Firms.

Business/Technology Editors

OSHKOSH, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2001

(Media Briefing At Oshkosh Exhibit 251-252 at the Aviation

Tomorrow Pavilion, 9 a.m., July 25)

The first steps toward a new era in flight were taken here today as the non-profit Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology Education (FASTec) showed off the plane it is developing as the world's first, piloted fuel-cell-powered aircraft.

"As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' original flight, we are embarking on a whole new type of aviation propulsion. The technology for electric powered flight exists today, and we are integrating it into a high performance general aviation aircraft," said James P. Dunn, executive director of the foundation, who is also the inventor of the laptop computer and an expert in energy storage technology.

The new Electric Plane, or E-Plane, is a high-speed, all carbon French DynAero Lafayette III, built and donated by American Ghiles Aircraft, that is being converted from a combustion engine to electric propulsion in three stages. The first flights, planned for next year, will be on lithium ion batteries; the next flights will be powered by a combination of lithium ion batteries augmented by a fuel cell; and, finally, the aircraft will be powered totally by a hydrogen fuel cell, with a range of over 500 miles.

Dunn said the plane, on exhibit at this week's Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2001 show in Oshkosh, eventually will be able to fly distances of 500 to 800 miles without recharging. This revolutionary concept will ultimately lead to fuel cell airplanes that are simpler to build than traditional aircraft, as well as more reliable, quieter, emission-free, easier to maintain and safer.

The Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology Education also is investigating using similar fuel cell technology as in the E-Plane on other projects: possibly to replace the noisy, cumbersome diesel engines of the record-setting catamaran TeamAdventure with electric power; and for onboard power on the CarterCopter gyroplane, a craft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies at the speed of a small jet (a sister exhibit of FASTec at AirVenture 2001.)

Emerging fuel cell technology is rapidly allowing vehicles of all types to be powered on hydrogen fuel cells, which, unlike batteries, do not require charging. The fuel cells generate electricity by using hydrogen, combined with oxygen, and they can operate as long as they are fed the fuel.

"There is a limitless supply of hydrogen and it poses no environmental harm, unlike carbon dioxide and other compounds generated by traditional gasoline or diesel engines," said Dunn, who also is president of Advanced Technology Products, Inc. (ATP) of Worcester, Mass., which manufactures high power auxiliary starting systems for aircraft.

Dunn first made a name at Oshkosh in 1998, when he and his partner, Dave Ekstrom, went around the massive air show starting airplane after airplane with their three-pound "StartStick." That ATP product won the Experimental Aircraft Association's Outstanding Design Award at Oshkosh that year.

Dunn now is eager to get the first piloted, fuel-cell-powered electric airplane off the ground.

A special unmanned electric plane, the Helios, developed by Paul McCready, CEO of Aerovironment Corp, operates on solar power, and recently flew to 76,000 feet. (It will be outfitted with a regenerative fuel cell system in 2003, providing perpetual 24 hour-a-day flight, powered solely from the sun's energy.)

"America developed the first traditionally powered airplane, and we ought to have the first fuel-cell-powered electric airplane. Our plane would have been flying by now if we had sufficient funding," said Dunn, whose non-profit organization is still seeking sponsors and support. Fortunately, the airplane and many of the components have been donated by companies like Diamond Aircraft, American Ghiles Aircraft and others.

The test pilots for the project are a trio of aerospace stars, including Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson, former space shuttle astronaut and "Top Gun" fighter pilot in Southeast Asia who holds the world record for altitude in horizontal flight for a Class1A aircraft, as well as a record for time-to-climb to 9000 meters.

The test crew also includes Wayne Handley, former Naval aviator and aerobatic champion who in 1989 became the world record holder for inverted flat spins, having done 67 consecutive turns, and Bruce Bohannon, holder of virtually all piston engine time-to-climb records in the Exxon "Flying Tiger."

In addition to the American Ghiles effort, other key partners in the research and education effort include SAFT Corp., a leading supplier of advanced battery systems based in France; Solectria Corp., a developer of advanced drive systems for electric vehicles; and Lockwood Aviation of Sebring, Fla., developer of experimental aircraft.

Also on display at the FASTec exhibition area is the CarterCopter, which already is a proven rotorcraft breakthrough. The CarterCopter is a unique gyroplane that takes off and lands like a helicopter but is designed to cruise at 400 mph at 40,000 feet, and fly non-stop coast to coast.

Developed by Jay Carter Jr. and Paul Redding in Wichita Falls, Texas, the CarterCopter offers the speed and other flight efficiencies of a fixed wing aircraft combined with the vertical take-off and landing abilities of a helicopter.

"The CarterCopter is another type of aircraft that is going to have a significant impact on the future of aviation. Just think of the value of being able to take off and land virtually anywhere without a runway. This could revolutionize our regional passenger transport system as well as dramatically expand the delivery of cargo, direct to your parking lot," said Dunn.