Military expands testing of synthetic aviation fuels

The December nonstop coast-to-coast flight of an Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III using a synthetic fuel blend, the first for the type, is the latest

By Curt Epstein • Business Aviation Services Editor

February 6, 2008

The December nonstop coast-to-coast flight of an Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III using a synthetic fuel blend, the first for the type, is the latest indicator that such fuels are moving toward widespread acceptance in the aviation industry. The chief pilot for the flight–which flew from McChord AFB in Washington State and landed at McGuire AFB in New Jersey to pick up some guests for the final leg to Andrews AFB in Maryland–said the flight was unremarkable and that the synthetic fuel performed like common JP-8.

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne hailed the flight as a meaningful mission with implications beyond the Air Force. “This really is the frontier of a new industry, an energy industry that can serve to reduce our country’s reliance on foreign oil,” he said. The latest milestone in a $174 million program to certify the entire Air Force fleet on synthetic fuel by 2011, the C-17 flight came after the B-52 received synthetic fuel certification, following months of testing. The Air Force is reviewing the use of the synthetic fuel blend in the afterburning engines of the B-1 bomber.

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