In an industry where pilots see having a decal of eco-activist Greta Thunberg with “How dare you!” text on the inside fuel door of the business jets they operate as a badge of honor, maybe touting sustainable aviation fuel’s environmental credentials hasn’t been the best marketing play? At least in the U.S., many business jet pilots think climate change is, well, cow manure, which ironically could be used as a feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
General and business aviation associations, fuel providers, and sustainability consulting companies have been playing up SAF’s green credentials for years, while all but ignoring the message most likely to resonate with climate nonbelievers: SAF can help increase U.S. energy independence. Other benefits of SAF that almost anyone—climate change activists and skeptics alike—can get behind include catalyzing new opportunities, investing in promising technologies that spark private sector innovations, and creating jobs. It also is poised to be a boon for agribusiness.
Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group. He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion, the student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot magazine, he joined AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.
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