Aircraft

World first 100% biodiesel fuel powered jet takes flight

World first 100% biodiesel fuel powered jet takes flight
Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante in Bio Jet 1
Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante in Bio Jet 1
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Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante in Bio Jet 1
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Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante in Bio Jet 1
Czechoslovakian-made L-29
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Czechoslovakian-made L-29

October 19, 2007 An L-29 military aircraft powered solely by 100% biodiesel fuel has successfully completed a test flight in the skies above Reno, Nevada. Piloted by Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante, the aircraft reached 17,000 feet without showing any significant drop in performance compared to a jet aircraft running on conventional fuel.

The historic flight was carried out using a Czechoslovakian-made L-29 aircraft designed to run on a variety of fuels including heating oil. This made the craft the perfect vehicle for testing biodiesel in jet engines. Extensive testing had been conducted with a blend of jet fuel and biodiesel before the engine data was found to be acceptable to make a flight using 100% renewable biodiesel fuel.

According to Chief Pilot Carol Sugars who wrote and conducted the test program, “As we gradually increased the amount of biodiesel in the fuel blend, the data confirmed that the aircraft continued to perform well, giving me the confidence to transition to 100% biodiesel.”

The achievement was the result of a partnership between Biodiesel Solutions and Green Flight International. The brainchild of Douglas Rodante, Green Flight was founded in April 2006 to focus on future development in the use of environmentally-friendly fuels in aviation and elsewhere, and in doing so highlight the immediate need to reduce CO2 (greenhouse gases) and smog producing NOx.

An aircraft flight from London to New York produces more than 1.4 tons of carbon emissions per passenger, not to mention the nitrous oxide and vapor trails which are also emitted from jet engines.

Green Flight International has plans to spearhead more record-breaking aviation events including a the first biodiesel powered transcontinental flight and an around the world journey that will be filmed and distributed in High Definition.

Boeing are also currently working on plans for bio-jet fuel development.

Visit Green Flight International to learn more.

3 comments
3 comments
Mr Stiffy
This kind of an article is bullshit - a jet engine will run well at altitude on \"almost\" any dirt and water free, and pumpable hydrocarbon fuel.
If you can keep the fuel lines from chilling, you can run a jet engine on anything from BBQ gas to old cooking fat from a deep fryer or recycled bitumen tar off an old highway.
Basically it\'s just an oil sprayer - in a small furnace - that has a \"turbocharger\" stuck to the inlet and exhaust.
And these articles, are as relevant as staying up till 3am to watch the 4,000th shuttle launch.
Adze
I\'m sorry, but couldn\'t they have chosen a font other than freaking Comic Sans? I feel like tearing a phone number off the bottom of that photo.
Slowburn
NASA satellite data has proven that the average global temperature has declined over the last decade proving that the AGW advocates are wrong. And also makes the people looking for more expensive fuel sources look especially foolish.
@!Mr Stiffy - A jet can run on any fuel that burns clean enough that it neither sand blasts or leaves deposits on the turbine blades. Bitumen tar is likely to leave deposits. if you combine the effects right it might be possible to burn a fuel that does both without destroying the engine.