Shock wave: Camelina biofuels break sound barrier in Navy F-18 trial

Biofuels Digest
April 23, 2010 Jim Lane

In Washington, the Navy celebrated Earth Day April 22 by showcasing a flight test of the “Green Hornet,” an F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jet powered by a a 50/50 blend of conventional jet fuel and camelina aviation biofuel. The test, conducted at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland drew hundreds of onlookers, including Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who has made the exploration and adoption of alternative fuels a priority for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Among the onlookers, Scott Johnson, general manager of Sustainable Oils, which produced the camelina. “It was awesome to watch camelina biofuel break the sound barrier,” after watching the takeoff at the airbase and seeing the remainder of the flight via the Navy’s in-flight video feed.

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