Expert Opinion
AIN Blog: Biojet Cocktail May Produce a Big Hangover
At this year’s Paris Air Show, some big players bellied up to the biojet bar.

At this year’s Paris Air Show, some big players bellied up to the biojet bar. Boeing flew one of its new 747-8s from the U.S. to the show fueled by a mix of 85-percent jet-A and 15-percent camelina plant oil derivative; Honeywell–the jet-engine and avionics manufacturer–made the trip using a 50-50 mix in a Gulfstream G450.

The good news is that no engines were fried and nobody died. Historically, jet engines run well on a jet-A/biofuel mix with modest 1- to 2-percent improvements in fuel consumption and significant emissions reductions. The technology isn’t complicated and you can make the stuff from almost anything: algae, plant oils and even lawn clippings.

Mark Huber
Contributor
About the author

Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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