F-15 Flies on Alternative Jet Engine Fuel

Using a 50-50 mixture of JP-8 jet fuel and a natural gas-based synthetic fuel, an F-15 Strike Eagle flew high above Robins Air Force Base in Georgia this week.  One of the pilots for the test, Maj. Dan Badia, is quoted as saying it was just another day at the office.

He said, “You could have had JP-8 in there and I wouldn’t have known the difference.”

The test flight involved engineers from the 830th Aircraft Sustainment Group, who maintain the 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and pilots from the 339th Flight Test Certification office.

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The aircraft, according to F-15 fuels engineer Ryan Mead, functioned within the same range as it would if it had used JP-8.  Because of the test flights, Mead expects the jet to be certified on the fuel.

The test was part of a direction from the Secretary of the Air Force, to certify the entire Air Force fleet on synthetic fuel by 2011.

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Image:   www.dailyaviator.com/ ?p=1349

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