A very enlightening read and quite excellent in breaking down the approach and technologies researched and employed in the concept! I'm an amateur in the arena[1], albeit with some first-hand flight experience, but study this kind of development every chance I can get. As an academic concept, this is superb and the aerodynamic advantage of the prop/tail design deserves high praise - that's some innovative thinking right there!

From an implementation standpoint I'm curious to how practical using a fuel cell will be from an aviation safety and regulatory standpoint. From what I've read regarding their implementation in automobiles, the testing is rigorous, so that's a plus! The author does point out that the plane needs to be accepted by the target markets, and honestly, I think the plane could be built and working by 2020 but there'd be a total of six mechanics qualified in the world to work on the thing. It might be an exaggeration, but give it a little consideration.

We're talking a significant overhaul - an advancement, sure! - to the existing notion of flight. Hey I'm cool with it if it works! I've got no love for burning tons of fuel in the upper atmosphere. Yet also I've been quite skeptical of all the excitement around electric battery tech - e.g. graphene, super-capacitors - until it starts getting used and tested in real world applications. Advancements are underway, sure; time will tell if they live up to the hype though. See also: Moeller Air Car. There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs - the new FlyBoard air debuted recently and I'm not sure an electric version is possible yet, or within the near future.

[1] I participated in the LocalMotors LITECAR challenge and still am sore that an "exoskeleton" and "body panels made out of this lighter metal" entries were deemed more revolutionary than an organic composite sedan powered by microturbines and electric motors because what was said was the purpose of the contest did not match what was chosen in the long run. Grr.