Hawker Beechcraft OKs Biofuels for Turbine Aircraft

Hawker Beechcraft’s turbine-powered aircraft are approved to use biofuels, a renewable resource that can help reduce the use of fossil fuels and minimize carbon emissions. The biofuel must meet American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) turbine fuel standards to be eligible. The announcement follows on Hawker Beechcraft’s decision earlier this year to become a founding member of the Lindbergh Foundation’s Aviation Green Alliance.

“Our engine manufacturers–Pratt & Whitney Canada, Honeywell and Williams–have already gone through the evaluation process with these biofuels to ensure they will function on our aircraft,” a Hawker Beechcraft spokesman told AIN. “The engineers are telling us that it will be a transparent process for the operator; nothing needs to be done to the aircraft. What may surprise some operators is that there are companies far along in the development of biomass crops, such as camelina sativa, and derivative biomass fuel. There are some mechanics involved in the development of the processing and distribution systems so the current thinking is this will be a viable option within the next five to ten years in some markets.”