SAVANNAH, Ga., June 22, 2011 — A Gulfstream G450 recently became the first business jet to cross the Atlantic using biofuels. The Honeywell-operated aircraft flew from North America to Europe using a 50/50 blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel and petroleum-based jet fuel powering one of its Rolls-Royce Tay Mk 611-8C engines. The G450 was also the world’s first business jet to be powered by a biofuel.
“We’re proud to be part of this aviation milestone,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “This flight demonstrates the tremendous advances being made as this industry moves toward enhanced environmental efficiency and responsibility. We also want our operators to know that Gulfstream aircraft are capable of using alternative fuels.”
Gulfstream worked closely with Honeywell to ensure the viability of the company’s biofuel, which is derived from camelina, an inedible crop.
The cooperative effort also supports Gulfstream’s commitment to achieving the business aviation industry’s goals on emissions reductions, including carbon neutral growth by 2020 and a reduction in total carbon emissions of 50 percent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels.
Alternative fuels could account for 40 percent of these reductions, while the remaining improvements will come from technology and operations.
“We are working with innovative companies, such as Honeywell, to ensure we can meet these initiatives,” Henne said.
Gulfstream and Honeywell share a long history of technological innovation. The G450 used in Saturday’s flight from Morristown, N.J., to Paris features a number of technologies the companies developed collaboratively, including the PlaneViewTM flight deck, the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS) and optional Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD).
