Flying High, Fast on Synthetic Fuel

Imagine flying an Air Force bomber faster than the speed of sound – and doing it while testing a 50/50 blend of synthetic petroleum fuel. Well, that flight did take place last week, as a B-1 bomber launched from its home station of Dyess Air Force Base, near Abilene, Texas, and flew to New Mexico, crossing the White Sands Missile Range at 680 mph.

While this was not the first Air Force aircraft and crew to test synthetic fuels in flight, it was the first supersonic flight, and like the other test flights, it came off without a hitch. In late 2006, an eight-engine B-52 bomber made the first synthetic fuel flight, and more recently, a four-engine C-17 transport aircraft flew across the country on synthetic fuel.

This is a big deal. The goal is to have all U.S. Air Force aircraft certified to use a synthetic blend fuel within the next three to four years. Synthetic fuel is cheaper, will reduce dependence on foreign oil, and burns cleaner. That is significant. The Air Force is by far the largest consumer of aviation fuel, with an appetite for about 3 billion gallons a year. So, any efficiency and cost savings are enormous.

Just what is synthetic aviation fuel? And how long has the idea been around? Essentially, it is fuel that can be produced from coal, shale and natural gas – all hydrocarbon products that are available to us in the U.S., significantly reducing dependence on foreign oil. I am no expert on the processing technique, but I am told that these domestic products – coal, shale or natural gas – go through a conversion process that turns them into a liquid fuel. On last week’s B-1 supersonic flight, natural gas was used in the blended fuel.

Sounds like a 21st-century breakthrough, doesn’t it? Well, not quite. The conversion method was first developed some 80 years ago in Germany. A couple of German chemists, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, were responsible for what would become known as the Fischer-Tropsch process. The few test flights so far have indicated no difference in aircraft handling or performance. More test flights with other airframes are in the offing. As I noted above, the Air Force's goal is to have all of its aircraft certified for synthetic fuel by 2011.

A cheaper, cleaner, less-dependent-on-foreign-oil aviation fuel will dramatically affect the aviation industry. For now, it is just the Air Force out in front with this significant project of testing and then certifying an alternative fuel. But in the near future, I visualize all of the other armed services and the commercial airline industry taking the same route. Cheaper, cleaner and domestically available all make for a highly desirable outcome.

Like I said, this is a big deal.