Gulfstream has become the first company to receive the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) “Sustainable Wings” certification. It earned this certification for its record-setting round trip from its Savannah, Georgia headquarters to San Francisco on July 24 using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The flight in a G500 flown by the airframer’s demonstration team reached San Francisco in four hours and 17 minutes at an average speed of 548.8 mph, while the return leg took a minute longer.
The certification recognizes records that are set using SAF, which is a drop-in replacement for standard jet-A and provides lifetime CO2 emissions reductions over fossil fuels. Operators of record-setting flights achieved using fuel that meets the ASTM international standards for SAF can apply under the Sustainable Wings program, and a special seal will be added to NAA’s certificate of record for the flight.
Gulfstream president Mark Burns noted that the recognition will not only increase the visibility of SAF but highlight its ease of use as the industry works to increase renewable fuel availability around the globe.
“Aviation must become more sustainable and is becoming more sustainable,” said NAA president Greg Principato, adding he believes this new certification will further advance that. “As the official recordkeeper of American aviation for more than a century, it is incumbent on NAA to recognize this and to encourage the use of sustainable fuels and practices.”