Vertical Flight Society Document Addresses H2 Future

The Vertical Flight Society (VFS), a non-profit technical organization dedicated to the advancement of vertical flight, has published a forward-thinking whitepaper positing a multimodal hydrogen airport.

By dint of the document, titled Multimodal Hydrogen Airport Hub, the Vertical Flight Society sets out to propose a repeatable, on-airport hydrogen hub—initially with a ground vehicle fueling station, and expanding subsequently to an airport-based hub supplying multiple modes of transportation.

Presently, approximately ten-percent of U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to aircraft operations. Predictive models suggest that number could increase to over twenty-percent by 2050. The exigency of replacing fossil fuel propulsion architectures expediently is intensified by the fact the mean service-life of modern aircraft is thirty-years. Ergo, the foremost mission of the VFS H2-Aero team is to decarbonize aviation using zero-emission propulsion powered by carbon-free hydrogen—which is to say fuel-cells.

Though sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are emerging as a “drop in fuel” by which conventional kerosine may eventually be replaced, numerous predictive indicators suggest achieving net zero aviation carbon emissions will require hydrogen solutions. Ergo, the H2-Aero Team was formed in 2022 for purpose of decarbonizing aviation by envisaging and developing hydrogen propulsion schemes as a follow-on to SAF.

H2-Aero Team Chair Jesse Schneider stated: “Though SAF has taken the forefront as the primary means to reduce aircraft carbon emissions, hydrogen offers numerous benefits, such as 5-times less water usage and 3-times less cost at scale [than kerosene], while greatly accelerating the transition to replace fossil fuels. To stimulate the transition to hydrogen in aviation, it is advantageous to create a multimodal ecosystem at the airport. The H2-Aero whitepaper proposes using a ground vehicle station as an ‘anchor’ or starting point that would later grow into a Hydrogen Hub to serve the entire airport.” Mr. Schneider continued: “The whitepaper gives the first complete overview of hydrogen storage per transportation type and status of standards to assist entities to appropriately size H2-Hub in stages. The H2-Aero lays the framework also for hydrogen airport demonstrations in the form of a public-private partnership to help validate the fueling and aircraft technology.”

Vertical Flight Society executive director Mike Hirschberg added: “VFS recognized in January 2022 the need to create a whitepaper for hydrogen at the airport as fuel cells are nearing the point of viability for aircraft. So, we formed the H2-Aero Team to address commercialization needs. We’re thrilled to publish this whitepaper from the H2-Aero Team that could help accelerate the transition to hydrogen in aviation.”

The H2-Aero “Multimodal Hydrogen Airport Hub” whitepaper can be found at http://www.vtol.org/hydrogen, where VFS has summarized some of the work the Society has supported over the past few years.

The Vertical Flight Society was founded in 1943 on the premise that technological cooperation and collaboration were essential to the growth of the nascent helicopter industry. Today, the organization’s expertise and resources are plied to fostering the emergence and proliferation of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft and infrastructure.

FM: www.vtol.org