photo by Bob Berlyn
Powered by a custom-mixed 50-50-blend of aviation biofuel and Jet A, schoolteacher Ross McCurdy, his 12-year-old son Aedan and a rotating crew of second pilots are spending school break flying across the U.S. east to west in a diesel-powered Cessna 182, to promote the potential of eco-friendly fuels. “We achieved a milestone for the flight today, flying over and along the mighty Mississippi river,” McCurdy wrote in a blog post on Sunday. The crew launched from Rhode Island on Saturday morning, landed in Dayton and then continued on to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The next planned stop is Grand Prairie, Texas, the U.S. headquarters of SMA, which manufactures the diesel engine in the 182, but according to the latest reports, the crew is still in Arkansas, awaiting better weather.
The aviation biofuel is made from Camelina plant seed oil and blended 50-50 with regular Jet A to meet ASTM D7566 standards, according to McCurdy’s website. “The biofuel was supplied by the Air Force in order to obtain additional aviation-diesel-engine test data,” McCurdy wrote. “The aviation biofuel blend is run through over 20 lab tests to ensure it meets or exceeds the required specifications. This aviation biofuel blend is a drop-in replacement for Jet A that can be used in jet engines, turboprop engines, and aviation diesel engines. With 50 percent of the fuel made from renewable Camelina plant seed oil, the emissions are reduced, the carbon footprint is significantly lower, and there is no lead in the fuel.” The flight will continue to Santa Monica, California, to celebrate an Earth Day event, then head back to Rhode Island. McCurdy and his partners are participating in educational and outreach events at every stop along the route. The aircraft is owned by Paramus Flying School, in New Jersey. Updates and flight tracking are posted at Bioplane.us.
