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Summary
There were several objectives
for the formation of Green Flight International.
Our main objective is to create a point of
reference for reliable and sustainable renewable
fuels. At the time of our biofuel flights, a
common perception was that renewable fuels could
not be used in aviation, mainly due to the cold
flow properties. We felt that demonstrating
“Green Fuels” in an aircraft would not only
create credibility for its reliability, but
initiate a push for renewables in aviation, as
well as ground transportation.
Numerous challenges were
overcome during the process, as there was no
technical or political point of reference to
rely on. We were responsible for establishing
the airframe and engine operational viability,
performance limitations and operational
differences from manufacturers published data
for approved fuel types vs. biofuel. The Federal
Aviation Administration had no prior history of
a flight approval of this type, which put a
greater emphasis on public safety concerns.
Several biofuel demonstration flights followed
Green Flight, such as Richard Branson’s Virgin
Atlantic and Air New Zealand. The project is now
being replicated with numerous airlines using
small percentages of biofuel in multi-engine
aircraft. Airlines are now included in Europe’s
carbon market which promote the use of renewable
fuels and ultimately save millions of tons of
green house gasses from being released into our
Earth’s atmosphere. Besides the obvious
environmental benefits of the increased use of
renewable fuels, independence from foreign oil
imports benefit national and international
energy security. Green flight is continuing its
R&D efforts and is planning its most ambitious
flight to take place in 2011.
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