Biofuel powers plane in flight across US

Last month, two American pilots - Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante – became the first flight crew to fly cross-country in a plane powered mostly by biodiesel fuel.

Over the 2,486 miles from Reno, Nevada to Leesburg, Florida, more than 70 per cent of the distance was 100 percent powered by biodiesel fuel. The other 710 miles were powered by a 50:50 biodiesel and standard jet fuel mix.

The flight duration was 11 hours and 13 minutes at altitudes ranging from 13,000-17,000 ft. Co-sponsors included the eco-friendly aviation group, Green Flight International and Pittsburgh-based Lake Erie Biofuels.

Commenting about the history-making flight, Douglas Rodante, the co-pilot and also the CEO of Green Flight International said: “These flights prove that we have the capability of supplementing our energy requirements with safe, environmentally-friendly alternatives to petroleum. And the Biofuel is produced in the U.S., which essentially negates our dependency on foreign fuel supplies.”

Rodante’s confidence was echoed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has said that it is interested in using the testing program as a model for testing future generations of biofuels.

With aviation giants, including Boeing, on board, it appears that biofuels will begin to play a significant part in the industry’s future, both in passenger and freight operations.

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.faa.gov