São Paulo – In August, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company Embraer carried out flight tests with an Embraer 170 jet fuelled with biofuel. According to the press statement issued by the company this Friday (2nd), the tests have been “successfully” completed. The aircraft used for testing was equipped with an engine by General Electric (GE) and was fuelled with a mix comprising 50% of JET-A fuel (aviation kerosene) and another 50% of Hefa, a compound derived from camelina.
According to the aircraft manufacturer, the test was intended to evaluate the operational characteristics of the aircraft and its engine when using this type of fuel. Now that the testing is through, according to Embraer, the two companies have confirmed that they plan on proceeding with trials of other types of fuel.
Embraer’s Engineering and Technology executive vice-president, Mauro Kern, stated that the trials and “positive” results have generated information that will contribute to the development of the company’s sustainability program.
GE’s chief executive for Marketing, Laurent Rouaud, claimed that new testes represent new challenges both in the use of other fuels and the increasing of the rate of Hefa used in the aircraft fuel tanks.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum