Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

The Federal Aviation Administration is to leverage the U.S. Air Force’s experience with synthetic fuel, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said here on Tuesday during a press conference. Under the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), the FAA is studying solutions to replace today’s Jet-A1 kerosene. Looked for are fuels with smaller carbon dioxide (CO2) footprints. The results of two studies are due this September.
The USAF has been for a few months testing a 50/50 blend of conventional and synthetic fuel on a B-52 bomber and a C-17 military transport. This is mainly about securing a critical resource. Cost has been a factor, too. “Every time the oil barrel goes up $10, the Air Force pays another $600 million per year,” Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne said at the conference. The environment has been taken into account–the Air Force will buy only synthetic fuel from those companies with CO2 capture programs.
The C-17 should be qualified for the blend by year-end. Wynne hopes to have the entire Air Force fleet–including fighters–qualified by 2010. The synthetic liquid fuel the Air Force uses is made from natural gas. The FAA now wants to have the Air Force’s input into its own studies. “We will also explore biofuels,” Blakey told Aviation International News. A tricky part of the job will be to compile data. “Let’s be sure we are comparing apples to apples,” she said. One solution will then be picked.
The first study the FAA is conducting is about feasibility, cost, barriers and technical issues. The second one focuses on environmental benefits. “Airlines have huge incentives to switch to an alternative fuel but this needs to be a drop-in–they cannot afford changes on in-service engines,” Blakey insisted.

FAA wants to replace Jet-A with synthetics

The Federal Aviation Administration is to leverage the U.S.

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