Air Force Team Wins FAA 2007 Excellence in Aviation Research Award Published May 8, 2008 By Tom Brown, AFRL/RZOP Propulstion Directorate WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected the US Air Force B-52 Aircraft Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) Fuels Research Team as a recipient of the 2007 Excellence in Aviation Research Award. The team includes primary members from AFRL; Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center; Air Force Flight Test Center; Arnold Engineering Development Center; Air Force Petroleum Agency; Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command; Headquarters Air Force, including the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; and University of Dayton Research Institute. The team made history as the first in the Air Force to certify a synthetic fuel blend for the B-52 fleet. The F-T process for synthesizing fuel could decrease the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Tests indicate that B-52 aircraft operating on the F-T fuel blend produce reduced exhaust smoke and lower particulate emissions. Aircraft system managers will leverage the data gathered from these tests to accelerate F-T/JP [jet propellant]-8 fuel blend certification, thereby saving millions of dollars. Proven sound by independent review, the team's procedures and methodology will soon impact the C-17 and other aircraft, with the ultimate goal leading to conversion of the entire Air Force fleet to F-T fuel blends. The team not only worked closely with the commercial aviation community, but supported its Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative. Subsequent qualification of the C-17, which uses commercially derived turbofans, will provide valuable data in terms of certifying alternative fuels for civil aviation. Bestowed annually for the past 10 years, the FAA's prestigious Excellence in Aviation Research Award honors institutions and/or individuals (outside the FAA) whose research contributions have resulted in a significantly safer, more efficient national airspace system.