In December, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner test aircraft ZA004 (N7874) flew with one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines running on a blend of 85% regular petroleum Jet A1 and 15% NEXBTL renewable diesel, also known as 'green diesel'. Further trips, with the mix powering both engines, took place in December. This was the first use of NEXBTL in an aircraft, the fuel being available for ground vehicles since 2012. The flights were part of the latest phase of Boeing's ecoDemonstrator programme, which fast-tracks testing of innovations that could be integrated into commercial aircraft to reduce their environmental impact. "Flight testing helps us determine the application readiness and is an active part of maturing technology," a Boeing spokeswoman told AIR International. The 2014 ecoDemonstrator tested more than 25 airframe, engine and systems technologies.
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