All-electric planes lack
the power of gas-guzzling
craft, which means they
can carry only limited
passenger weight. So in
designing the four-seater
HY4 aeroplane, which
made its first flight in
September, the German
Aerospace Centre
supplemented the
battery with a hydrogen
fuel cell. It also split the
passenger compartment
in two to carry more
weight. The zero-
emission result has a
1000-km range—much
greater than a purely
battery-powered plane.Hydrogen-Cell
Four-SeaterH
GERMAN AEROSPACE
CENTREHY4Facebook got one step
closer to its goal of
universal global Web
access in July with its
96-minute test of a
full-scale Aquila drone.
To stay in the air for long
periods, the plane has
a massive 41.7-metre
wingspan and a light
sub-450-kilogram
body—longer and leaner
than other jets. Aquila’s
final incarnation will be
solar-powered and
capable of spending
three months aloft as it
beams broadband
access to an area up to
100 kilometres wide.Internet
Via DroneG
FACEBOOK
AQUILAPrecise work is difficult in
zero gravity, where small
motions like twisting a
wrench can send humans
flying. To stabilise
astronauts, Draper
attached four (one for
each direction, plus a
backup) softball-size
control moment
gyroscopes (CMGs)—
spinning wheels
mounted on gimbals
that counteract torque—
to its Mobility-
Augmenting Jetpack
with Integrated CMGs
(MAJIC). Draper hopes to
develop a space-ready
version within a decade.Astronaut
JetpackDRAPER
MAJICIn 2016, French daredevil
Franky Zapata smashed
the record for longest
hoverboard flight,
traveling 2,251 metres.
The jet-powered Flyboard
Air can stay aloft for 10
minutes at a time,
reaching over 160 km/h
and an altitude of
10,000 feet. Next,
explosive-detection firm
Implant Sciences
Corporation, which is
merging with Zapata
Industries this year, will
adapt the technology
for applications like
all-terrain rescue and
supply delivery.High-Flying
HoverboardE
ZAPATA INDUSTRIES
FLYBOARD AIRAERION CORPORATIONF
The AS2 supersonic
business jet promises
quiet, efficient travel at
about 1,600 km/h, nearly
twice the speed of other
commercial jets. It will hit
the market in 2023—jet
rental service Flexjet
already preorder ed 20.
(Find out how the AS2
works on the next page.)
Supersonic
Returns
PHOTO CREDITS SEE PAGE 87