Virgin biofuel plane completes London to Amsterdam flight
Remember how Virgin Atlantic said was going to fly a biofuel plane in February? Well, it’s February and guess what? The flight has flown.
The biofuel-powered 747 flew from London to Amsterdam, using fuel made from a mix of babassu oil and coconut oil and no amendments to its engine. The demo flight was piloted by Captain Geoff Andreasen, with technical advisors on board to assess how things went.
Virgin, no doubt aware of biofuel’s detractors, said this about the plane:
These oils are environmentally and socially sustainable. They can both be found in everyday cosmetic products, such as lip balm and shaving cream, and do not compete with staple food sources. In addition, the babassu nuts and coconuts were harvested from existing, mature plantations.
There’s another demo flight coming up this year, says Virgin. Watch this space.
[...] looks like everyone wants to be a Virgin these days, especially a mile-high one: the biofuels trail blazed by Virgin is now being trodden by Continental Airlines along with chums Boeing and GE [...]