Kerry Reals: May 2011 Archives

What with the ash cloud and everything, I haven't had time to post about a couple of studies on sustainable aviation that have come out in the last few days.

The first, Flight Path to Sustainable Aviation, was commissioned by Qantas, Air New Zealand, Boeing and Virgin Australia and calls on the Australian and New Zealand governments to help kickstart a local aviation biofuel industry for the region.

Without government assistance, says the report, supply chains will face "technological and market uncertainties" that will limit the investment and expansion needed to enable airlines to purchase alternative fuels.

A similar study, carried out by Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest, has pretty much the same message, but for the USA's Pacific Northwest region.

The need for government support to help make aviation more sustainable has been a bit of a theme for me this week.

Yesterday I interviewed Air Transport Action Group executive director Paul Steele, who kept coming back to the same point that "an injection of political will" is what's needed to drive forward the aviation industry's efficiency targets.

So, is it realistic to expect governments to step in and help the industry to reduce its carbon footprint?

Perhaps. In a speech delivered at Georgetown University in Washington DC in March, US President Barack Obama said: "I'm directing the Navy and the Department of Energy and Agriculture to work with the private sector to create advanced biofuels that can power not just fighter jets, but also trucks and commercial airliners."

For more on how the US Air Force is moving towards greening its fleet, see our recent feature, written by my colleague Stephen Trimble.

And if you're interested in finding out more about how algae is progressing as a potential source for aviation fuel, take a look here.

Oh, and the next big thing is expected to be alcohol-derived aviation biofuels, which I plan to find out more about during the Paris air show. Watch this space for a feature on that as soon as I can get it written.

The guys at Solar Impulse just proved that Friday the 13th doesn't always mean bad luck when the flight of their solar-powered protoype to Brussels went according to plan.

If you haven't already seen it, check out this video of the prototype taking off from Payerne airfield in Switzerland on Friday for its 13 hour flight to Brussels.

Here's hoping the luck stays with them and we get to see it up close and personal at the Paris air show next month! 

In a quick update to yesterday's post about Solar Impulse waiting for the right weather conditions to fly to Brussels, I received a press release from them today saying that "a favourable weather window seems to be opening up for Friday 13 May".

If conditions remain favourable, Andre Borsch plans to take off in the solar-powered protoype, HB-SIA, from Payerne airfield in Switzerland early tomorrow morning. The flight is expected to take about 12h.

Solar Impulse will be providing live updates of the planned flight's progress on its website. I'm hoping to speak to the pilot early next week to find out how it all went, and to see what the plans are for the protoype's debut at the Paris Air Show.

Here's wishing them the best of luck. They're obviously not a superstitious bunch.

We Brits are pretty obsessed with weather forecasts, but taking an even closer interest over the coming days and weeks will be the folks behind the Solar Impulse sun-powered aircraft, which is hoping to wow the crowds at this year's Paris Air Show with some flying displays.

The prototype has been ready for take-off from its Swiss base, bound for Brussels, since 2 May but is awaiting the right weather conditions.

The plan is to display the aircraft in Brussels for a week from 23 May before being flown to Le Bourget to participate in the Paris Air Show.

Flight director Raymond Clerc is charged with finding "a favourable weather window at a time of year that often has unpredictable conditions".

We'll be monitoring events here at Flightglobal and, if the weather gods co-operate and the prototype makes it to Paris, we'll bring you all the latest on its debut at the show as it happens.

Click here to read our report from last year on the Solar Impulse project.  

Alternative fuels will be a major theme of this year's Paris Air Show and several flights powered by some form of biofuel could be winging their way in to the show, I'm told by a well-placed source.

However, the latter will depend on certification body ASTM International giving the regulatory green light in time. If this happens it will not be until the last minute, meaning there will be a rush to get the flights lined up and ready for the show.

You heard it here first.