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Old 26th Jan 2009, 00:30
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Eight Ball
 
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Synthetic fuel for Jet Fighters

I also remember reading this article once about the U.S. successfully using a synthetic fuel for their C-17 aircraft that flew a trans-continental flight. Didn't mention what was the mixture of the fuel though. here's the article below:
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This week the US Air Force achieved the first supersonic flight using alternative synthetic fuel, booming a B-1B Lancer over the White Sands Missile Range airspace in New Mexico without any problems. The supersonic strategic bomber, designed to deliver atomic weapons, will be able to start Armageddon at $30 to $50 less per barrel while helping the environment and without depending on foreign oil.
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A historic flight occurred on Tuesday August 19th when a United States Air Force F-15 Eagle combat jet exceeded Mach 2 while powered by a synthetic fuel blend.
The flight marked the first time ever that a combination of synthetic and regular jet fuel had been used in an air superiority fighter and followed similar tests in which a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft and Rockwell B1b Lancer and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers had been used.
Synthetic Fuel Trials

In the opinion of the USAF's Alternative Fuels Certification Office's Director, Jeff Braun, fighter types like the F-15 posed a very different challenge to the aircraft employed in previous synthetic fuel trials.
"They are much higher performance and a much more demanding environment", Braun said, subsequently detailing the various aspects of Tuesday's tests.
In the morning, he stated, the F-15's engines were run at ground level, and afterburner engaged - a stage Braun described as "just another risk reduction step to prove the aircraft was not leaking fuel and the engines were behaving nominally."
Later on that same day, the F-15 took off for a "full functional check flight" lasting "about 55 minutes."
During this flight, it achieved Mach 2.2 - about 1,450 miles per hour.
Braun added that, post-flight, the F-15's pilots were asked if they were aware of any changes from their perspective.
"We asked them point-blank if they noticed any difference in performance and they said it was a 'non-event'", he said.
"In other words, they couldn't tell the difference. The aircraft behaved the same."
Further flight tests were being carried out as these words were typed, as detailed by Braun:
"We'll have two more sorties then the Robins [Air Force Base - where the tests are being carried out] engineers will put their final analysis and reports together."
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