Porter Airlines, a Canada-based airline, has announced a biofuel-powered test flight in Canada.
The airline is flying Bombardier Q400 turboprop test aircraft using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D7566 bio-derived jet fuel, in April 2012.
Robert Deluce, the airline president and chief executive officer, said: "We are timing our biofuel-powered flight close to Earth Day to emphasize the contribution that bio fuels are expected to make in helping the aviation industry meet its targeted reduction in emissions. Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft are already among the 'greenest' aircraft in the world and the use of bio fuel will make the aircraft even more environmentally conscious."
"The two-hour preparatory flight was flawless and the bio-derived fuel performed as expected," said Mike Arcamone, president, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "During the flight, the Q400 aircraft successfully undertook several maneuvers including engine-out climbs, rapid engine accelerations and cruising to verify the performance of the aircraft while using the bio-derived fuel."
Other key partners in the biofuel program, which was first announced in 2010, include Saskatchewan-based Targeted Growth Canada (TGC), the producer of the crop of Camelina sativa and Pratt & Whitney Canada, the manufacturer of the PW150A engines that power the Q400 aircraft. Funding for the program is being provided by the partners as well as by the Green Aviation Research & Development Network (GARDN).
