Story ID: 
GE Honda Aero Continues Neat SAF Tests
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: This second test was conducted in Japan
Word Count: 293
GE Honda Aero Engines, which manufactures the HF120 engine for the HondaJet HA420, has completed a second test running 100 percent (neat) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The testing included evaluating the effects of lean blow-out characteristics.
The neat SAF tests were conducted in Saitama, Japan, at the R&D Center for Aero Engines and used ATJ-SPK fuel made from alcohol-sourced feedstock. Alcohol-to-jet synthetic paraffinic kerosene is converted from alcohol sourced from grains.
Honda led the SAF testing, and the first test was done in October 2022 at GE Aerospace’s Peebles test center in Ohio, using hydro-processed esters and fatty acids-SPK. 
“We’re very enthusiastic about 100 percent SAF,” said GE Honda Aero Engines president Mel Solomon. “We don’t see any roadblocks [to its eventual implementation].”
GE Honda parent companies GE Aerospace and Honda are participating in a manufacturer review panel to examine SAF safety and development of new fuels and fuel additives. “Insight gathered from the latest SAF test will be used for R&D of aero engines to support activities related to the international standardization of SAF by the OEM review panel,” according to GE Honda.
“Our active involvement in the OEM review panel and the successful completion of a second 100 percent SAF engine test within 12 months with a different blend is a testament to GE Honda’s commitment to accelerate the right solutions for the industry,” Solomon said.
According to GE Honda, “Lean blow-out is a condition in gas turbine engine fuel combustion during which the fuel supply is decreased to maintain or reduce engine RPM. However, the burning may be slow enough that the flame is carried out of the combustion chamber and extinguished.”