Last year amid much fanfare, a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 with one of its four
How many coconuts does a Boeing 747 need to fly from London to Amsterdam?
Last year amid much fanfare, a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 with one of its four engines fueled by a mix of 80 percent jet-A and 20 percent coconut and babassu oils flew the route in 40 minutes. Had all four engines been flying on biofuels alone, it would have required the oil from several million coconuts.
This was not the first flight of a biofuel-powered jet nor the highest concentration of biofuel mixed with jet-A. In 2007, a Czech L-29 with fuel warmers flew for 37 minutes to 17,000 feet with a 100-percent mixture of B100 biodiesel distilled from canola oil. Earlier this year, a Continental 737-800 with CFM56-7B engines flew for 90 minutes. Engine number-one flew on pure jet-A while engine number two was powered by a 50-50 mix of jet-A and a biofuel blend derived from algae and jatropha plants. And in January, a Japan Airlines 747-300 successfully flew with a biofuel blend largely of camelina.
More In Sustainability and Environment
