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Air Force Reserve pilots test synthetic fuel in F-15

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Chrissy Keeley
  • HQ Air Force Reserve Command
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  F-15 pilots from the 339th Flight Test Squadron here achieved a historical milestone Aug. 19, flying the first Air Force fighter jet using synthetic fuel.

It was "just another day at the office" for Maj. Dan Badia, lead pilot on the historical flight.

"There was no difference in performance using the JP-8 and synthetic mix," he said describing how the F-15E Strike Eagle performed on a 50-50 blend of a natural gas derived synthetic fuel and standard JP-8 jet fuel.

Major Badia, chief of standardization and evaluations for the Air Force Reserve Command squadron, and Lt. Col. Jim Luzzi, director of squadron operations, met all of the objectives during the 55-minute mission.

They showed the F-15 could fly safely on alternative fuel, said Jeff Braun, director of the Air Force's Alternative Fuels Certification Office at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, who came to Robins AFB to watch the test.

Work on the Total Force initiative began earlier when Ryan Mead, an F-15 fuel engineer in the 830th Aircraft Sustainment Group, assisted by George Reid, flight chief for the 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and his maintainers ran numerous tests. They simulated flight runs to ensure the safety of the fuel mix before the pilots went airborne.

One important test was a laboratory analysis of the fuel's density to ensure it met the required parameters for flight.

"Everything was normal," Mr. Mead said.

According to Mr. Braun, the 50-50 fuel mixture is the result of analysis of various materials used in common fuel systems. The 50 percent synthetic fuel was shown to have virtually no effect on the material integrity or performance.

Engineers in the Air Force Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson AFB will attempt to increase the synthetic fuel concentration without adversely affecting fuel and propulsion systems. The goal is to find the "perfect blend" of the synthetic fuel and JP-8, a derivative of petroleum, to allow the Air Force to get maximum use of the synthetic fuel without having to modify any aircraft systems.

With the impact of rising energy costs in the global economy, the Air Force is exploring alternate fuel sources, including bio-fuels to reduce the demand for foreign oil sources.

"Hopefully, synthetic use will save us money and minimize our dependence on foreign oil," Major Badia said.

The Air Force has tested fuel blends on C-17 Globemaster III, B-52 Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer aircraft.

However, officials are especially anxious to evaluate the blend on fighter aircraft, which perform at a much more demanding level, according to Mr. Braun. The F-15 reached speeds of mach 2.2 or about 1,450 mph during the flight.

Certification of the synthetic fuel blend in the F-15 is just another step in achieving the Secretary of the Air Force's directive that all Air Force airframes be certified on the synthetic fuel blend by 2011, said Mr. Braun.

Lt. Col. Fritz Heck, 339th FTS commander, said he is extremely proud that his squadron has the opportunity to pioneer the synthetic fuel test flight for all fighters.

"This is a perfect illustration of the evolving role of the Reserve in the Air Force," he said. "Flight test is just one area where reservists have had the opportunity to take the lead and operate with the same capability and professionalism as our active-duty counterparts.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to showcase the abilities of the Reserve, the (Warner Robins) Air Logistics Center, and the men and women of my unit while providing a critical capability to the Air Force." (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)