First Flight of Algae-Fueled Jet
Filed Under: Uncategorized on February 11, 2009
A US airline has completed the first test flight of a plane partly powered by biofuel derived from algae.
The 90-minute flight by a Continental Boeing 737-800 went better than expected, a spokesperson said.
One of its engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of biofuel and normal aircraft fuel.
Wednesday’s test is the latest in a series of demonstration flights by the aviation industry, which hopes to be using biofuels within five years.
The flight was the first by a US carrier to use an alternative fuel source, and the first in the world to use a twin-engine commercial aircraft (rather than a four-engine plane) to test a biofuel blend.
The flight from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport completed a circuit over the Gulf of Mexico, and pilots carried out a series of tests at 38,000ft (11.6km), including a mid-flight engine shutdown.
“The airplane performed perfectly,” test pilot Rich Jankowski told the Houston Chronicle newspaper.
“There were no problems. It was textbook.”
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