VX to run on biofuel?
Feb 5, 2008 | 9:20 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: VX, UA 2P
Posts: 968
VX to run on biofuel?
"A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 will make a historic flight later this month from London's Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam.
... The trip will be the first time a commercial aircraft has flown on biofuel."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../MN6VUQIL9.DTL
If all goes well, I wonder how long it'll be before VX start using biofuel? How would this effect the price of long-haul fares? I don't know how biofuel compares to oil-based fuel in price? ... The trip will be the first time a commercial aircraft has flown on biofuel."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../MN6VUQIL9.DTL
Feb 7, 2008 | 12:07 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Berkeley, CA
Programs: UA Silver, Southwest A-List, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 820
As a Californian, I honestly hope not. The way we're manufacturing biofuels right now, I'm not sure that it's all that helpful to the environment or humanity (via food costs) to encourage its production. I hope that VA and VX focuses more on improvement of ground handling efficiency instead.
Feb 7, 2008 | 6:48 am
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: VX, UA 2P
Posts: 968
As a Californian, I honestly hope not. The way we're manufacturing biofuels right now, I'm not sure that it's all that helpful to the environment or humanity (via food costs) to encourage its production. I hope that VA and VX focuses more on improvement of ground handling efficiency instead.
Although the exact type of biofuel to be used has not been disclosed, the airline said it is a form that does not compete with food and freshwater resources.
Looks like they thought of the food concerns :-) There have been some breakthroughs for cellulose-based (wood chips etc) ethanol production lately.
This one is way out there, but there has also been some theorizing about using Hydrogen (can be produced by algae) for super-sonic flight in the next 20 years or so.
Feb 7, 2008 | 10:17 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Berkeley, CA
Programs: UA Silver, Southwest A-List, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 820
Cool ^ to Virgin for doing their homework rather than doing the blind follow the buzzword! Wish I had done my HW and actually READ the article in its entirety rather than skimming it... oops.
Definitely hoping for the algae thing to work out. A shallow pool of the stuff in a place where nothing grows would be a ton more efficient! Thanks for the looking that up Nermal
(Garfield reference by any chance?)
Definitely hoping for the algae thing to work out. A shallow pool of the stuff in a place where nothing grows would be a ton more efficient! Thanks for the looking that up Nermal
(Garfield reference by any chance?)
Last edited by FlyingBear; Feb 7, 2008 at 10:23 am
Feb 7, 2008 | 12:38 pm
#6
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: VX, UA 2P
Posts: 968
Feb 24, 2008 | 1:24 pm
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: VX, UA 2P
Posts: 968