Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and FAA chief Marion Blakely took time at the Paris Air Show to discuss ongoing alternative aviation fuel developments. The two held a press conference aboard a C-17 airlifter, which is considered one of the most fuel-efficient cargo aircraft. The Air Force is DOD’s largest consumer of energy, primarily aviation fuel, so it is no wonder that the service has embarked on testing synthetic aviation fuel. The FAA has two major studies underway for its Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, and Blakely said the agency expects CAAFI “to develop a national roadmap on the viability of alternative fuels for aviation.”
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.