Hydrogen-powered passenger plane completes maiden flight in ‘world first’

I'm cheering it on, but as an engineer, I remain skeptical. There are a few challenges the article leaves out. First, zero emissions at point-of-use should not be confused with zero emissions. The logistics & infrastructure of filling an airplane with pressurized Hydrogen gas will never be as easy as a gasoline pump. The volume of pressurized container "gas tank" for a hydrogen fuel cell would have to be much larger due to lower volumetric energy density of hydrogen gas vs liquid gasoline or jet fuel. Volume translates to surface area, which means aerodynamic drag. Finally, we haven't built a hydrogen fuel cell that LASTS for any decent length of time, given the start-stop cycle of cars or airplanes. Durability remains a challenge compared to piston and jet engines. But, technology improvements will probably make Hydrogen fuel cells competitive for specific types of flights in the next couple decades. Still...lightning has hit airplanes many times....
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/fuel-cells-durable.htm

Thank you for the great technology share LTC Eugene Chu

Excellent post on this new technology