More information about the Pipistrel hydrogen powered machine

The Slovenian manufacturer’s new aircraft promises clean and economical operation. The zero-emission hybrid-electric passenger aircraft has been announced by the Slovenian aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel. The 20-seater Miniliner can be operated from simpler and even grassy airports, so it can play a significant role in regional aviation. While the timing of the announcement does not seem ideal, the fact is also interesting because it characterizes well the contradictions of the current situation. While aviation is at an all-time low these months, developments continue.

In the Miniliner category, it promises clean, fast and economical operation, read the description published on the developer’s website, but we still have to wait for the quiet flight, as the company plans to put the Miniliner into service by 2028-30. However, the project is not only about the technological innovation itself, but also about the operational background, the equipment of the airports, the flight procedures, the necessary regulatory regulations, ie the entire infrastructure supporting the new propulsion systems. Most machines in the Miniliner category have a kerosene-powered propeller-gas turbine drive, hydrogen-powered aircraft can be operated at a cost of 30 to 40 percent less, in addition, a cockpit equipped with state-of-the-art instruments allows for single-pilot flight, thus saving additional costs.

The only fantasy drawing published so far shows an interesting construction, with a split vertical guide plane, presumably a hydrogen tank and a power generator would be placed in the rear of the trunk because the inlet above the trunk leads here. And the electric motors with propellers are shown in an image as interesting above the wing as on the successful business machine, the HondaJet; it is also an environmentally friendly solution, the noise of the propellers is at least partially shielded by the wing itself.