Biofuel-Powered Jet Makes Test Flight on Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747

The world's first biofuel-powered commercial aircraft touched down in Amsterdam on Sunday following a demonstration flight from London's Heathrow Airport hailed as a first step towards "cleaner" flying. The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flight was part of a joint initiative with planemaker Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aviation to develop a "sustainable aircraft fuel." No passengers were onboard. Virgin Atlantic President Richard Branson said the test flight would help the airline to use clean fuel sooner than expected. "The demonstration flight will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint," Branson said in a statement. "Virgin Group pledged to invest all its profits from its transportation companies towards developing clean energy and with this breakthrough we are well down the path to achieving our goals." Virgin said the fuel to be used for Sunday's flight -- a 20 percent biofuel mix of coconut and babassu oil in one of the plane's four main fuel tanks -- was of a type that wouldn't compete with food and fresh water resources amid mounting concerns among green campaigners about the environmental impact of biofuels. For full article read here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/02/24/flight.biofuels/index.html