GREEN AVIATION

"If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to

employ methods never before attempted."
-Sir Francis Bacon (15611626)

Introduction:
It may be true that flying high in dreams may not have any
environmental impact, but is it so when we practically fly?
In recent times we watch a number of terms like energy, vehicle,
architecture, rating etc coming with the prefix green. What do this prefix
GREEN and GOING GREEN mean?In fact these words are pregnant
with a lot of effective and justifiable actions expected from the human
society to save the planet since we have not inherited this planet from our
grand fathers but borrowed it from our grand children.
GREEN means a process or a material which is benign or friendly,
sustainable or the ability to meet the needs of the current generation
without sacrificing the ability to meet the needs of the future generation
possesses a good Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which means very limited
environmental burden right from its cradle to grave.
Also GOING GREEN or GREENING means the activities and
processes which save the planet, animal kingdom, aquatic life, human
health, eco-system, protect the environment and control global warming.

Why Green Aviation?

The regular JP-8 jet fuel puts out a lot of carbon; a 5,000 mile flight
-- roughly a round trip from LA to New York -- puts out a ton and a half of
CO2 for every person on the plane.Not only does the aviation industrys
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions - currently 3% - look set to rise
with the constant growth in air traffic worldwide, but air transport is also one
of the main sources of noise pollution.
So in this connection it becomes more imperative to strongly
implement the terms green and going green in the aviation industry and
attach the prefix GREEN to AVIATION making it GREEN AVIATION.

Further with respect to this industry Green can be more than a public
relations campaign. Beyond fulfilling corporate responsibility and meeting
mandates, green aviation can result in significant business value by cutting
costs, creating revenue and increasing efficiency too. Going Green impacts
the air transport value chain too.

Transfer of technology from birds:

We need to match or beat a minimum of 200 passenger-miles per
gallon in order to prove the aircrafts as a viable green alternative to a car.
Creating such efficiency is not just all about improving the fuels alone, of
course. We have to seriously view at aircraft design and the way the skies
are managed in the hunt for savings.
It is not only the migratory routes of birds that aviation experts are
wondering at and the birds are still inspiring us. They are hoping that
examining the design of nature's ultimate flying machines might turn up
some unexpected solutions. USA Today, for instance reported that scientists
are investigating how it is that birds can fly without the large vertical tail fin
required on planes. If they could solve this conundrum, getting rid of the fin
would very likely lead to fuel savings. Will it be possible? When what once
impossible were made possible, it would not be far away to realize this too
possible.
The birds that fly from Europe to China take a different route, the best
route every day, but what about our aircrafts? There are number of air paths
that are outdated leading to the wastage of costly fuel.
The rules governing the flight paths of planes should allow them to
travel along a relaxed route, to allow the aircraft to choose the most energy
efficient routes. A research concludes: if planes were allowed to travel
unrestricted across Europe it would reduce carbon emissions from aviation
on the continent by 12 percent overnight. An amazing fact, worth
implementing!

Effective means to Green the Aviation Sector:

Investing in upgraded equipment and processes that increase fuel
efficiency or reduce fuel consumption by optimizing routes and procedures,

transition to alternative sources of fuel, change the business model and

metrics by which performance is measured are some of the promising salient
measures for greening the aviation sector.
In addition, a number of relatively easy-to-implement technologies
involving engine efficiency and reduced aircraft weight and drag could yield
large fuel savings, and some of those technologies are already being widely
adopted.
For example, Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies
Corporation, has developed the Pure Power engine (PPE), which the
company estimates reduces fuel burn by 12 to 15 percent. These engines are
currently on order to outfit.
Many have applied their expertise in computational fluid dynamics
and flow control to the development of greener aviation technology that
reduces drag and improves the efficiency of airplanes, leading to sustainable
or green aviation. In an attempt towards green aviation and in what could
set the stage for a fundamental shift in commercial aviation, an MIT-led
team has designed a green airplane that is estimated to use 70 percent less
fuel than current planes while also reducing noise and emission of nitrogen
oxides (NOx).
As a part of a $2.1 million research contract by NASA to develop
environmental and performance concepts that will help guide aeronautics
research over the next 25 years. Known as N+3 to denote three
generations beyond todays commercial transport fleet, the research program
is aimed at identifying key technologies, such as advanced airframe
configurations and propulsion systems, that will enable greener airplanes to
take flight around 2035.

Bio-fuel as an alternative:
It would not be prudent to rely upon a source like fossil fuel which is
finite and this applies to fuels which feed the aviation sector too. The biofuels have emerged as an alternative, but they too have their own
demerits.The use of bio-fuel remains contentious, however, with claims that
harvesting of the crops needed to make the fuel robs locals in the developing
world of valuable farmland thereby pushing up food prices. The real
question will be whether farms could keep up with the demand for bio-fuel

feedstock along with the increased food needs of a world heading towards 9
billion people, especially if bio-fuels take on a leading role as a green car
fuel, too. Even assuming that the aviation bio-fuel can be made from nonnutritive biomass (stalks, leaves and such), and various bio-hacks can make
the plants grow faster, it's unlikely that we will be able to cover the whole
aviation sector along with others. More likely is that automotive biofuels are
transitional, while aviation will rely on bio-fuels for decades to come.
Many are skeptical whether first generation bio-fuel has enough
energy density to work on its own. Environmentalists also argue that it often
leads to deforestation, making any CO2 savings largely redundant. Would
anybody barter their eyes for an artifact? Kangalai vitru chitthiram
vanguvaro? So the attention is focused on second and even third generation
bio-fuels that come from non-food crops.

Marine Algae: A valuable Alternative Green Fuel:

Marine Algae offers a very huge potential. Crucially it is a source of
bio-fuel which doesn't lead to deforestation or taking away of land or water
from the cultivation of essential food crops, Scientists believe that algae
could be the ultimate bio-fuel, providing the main solution to the problem of
cutting airline carbon emissions. The advantage of algae is that it can grow
incredibly fast - doubling in size in a few hours - and it does not need fresh
water or good quality land. Thick green alga produces at least 15 times more
oil per hectare than alternatives such as palm oil, soya or jatropha.

Going Green with Solar Power:

The eight of July 2010 has entered the history books as being an
incredible achievement in the advancement of human flight. On a small
military airbase in Switzerland an experimental solar-powered aircraft
launched on the previous day landed safely after successfully flying through
the night. The incredible feat is a step toward the even more incredible aim
of circling the globe using only the power of the Sun to fuel the plane.
Longest and highest solar powered flight ever. The plane with a total flight
time of 26 hours had 12,000 solar cells arranged on top of its wing which
stored enough energy to power the plane for the flight through four engines.
This proves that a plane can be kept in the air around the clock. Nothing
can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight.

The follow up work in this field is in full swing to build a new, more
advanced, model of the plane and they plan to aim to circumnavigate the
globe by 2013.

Competitions to inspire young minds:

To ignite and inspire the minds of younger generation and make them
to involve in an issue of paramount importance and to develop green
aviation ideas, competitions are conducted by the leading global players in
this sector. Airbus has invited for such a competition and 30,000 Euro is the
prize money to grab by the winner.
The Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of the Integrated
Systems Research Program, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, has
announced a new student contest. The Green Aviation Student Challenge
invites students to propose ideas and designs for future aircraft that use less
fuel, produce less harmful emissions and make less noise.
NASA is running a competition with objectives a little closer to the ground.
The Green Flight Challenge is enticing creative types with a USD$1.5
million prize in which designers need to create an aircraft that is low cost,
quiet, has a short take-off, is 'road worthy' and gets excellent passengermiles per gallon. Hopeful entrants have until July 2011 to dream up and
perfect a light aircraft, with the most likely end-market being PAVs
(Personal Air Vehicles)
Proposals are welcome on all aspects of the environmental life cycle
approach. Airbus uses to improve the environmental performance of an
aircraft and its production process. It consists of five stages: design, supply
chain, manufacturing, aircraft operations and aircraft end-of-life. Fly your
ideas (FYI) competition for this purpose offers 30,000 Euro for the winners.
NASAs light-aircraft collaborator CAFE (Comparative Aircraft Flight
Efficiency) is running a competition. Key requirements are low cost, quiet
operation, short take-off and ideally the ability to for the craft to fold up its
wings and career around on a road until the driver/pilot feels the need to take
to the skies- what are all expected by green aviation. Along with the green
credentials the highest possible passenger-miles per gallon and cruise speed
are also given a higher priority.

By 2020, Clean Sky hopes to cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 50%,

nitrogen oxide by 80% and noise pollution by 50%, as well as setting up an
eco-friendly life cycle for products design, manufacture, maintenance and
scrapping / recycling. Clean Sky will look at the technical areas from
engines to overall aircraft design.

From Hype to Action:

We observe so much hype about this green aviation, just like the
greening the other areas, but this should be transformed into action. The
greatest impediment to change, however, is often that the problem of
greening the aviation seems too large, too incomprehensible to fully grasp.
But inaction is the enemy. Waiting for a100 percent perfect solution is
futile at worst and nebulous at best. A 50 percent solution that can be 100
percent implemented may be the best attempt to save not only the industry
but the earth too.

Conclusion:
No doubt the aviation sector is currently flying through a lot of turbulence.
The future of aviation, especially commerciala critical enabler of
economic growth and social development globallyis in grave danger.
according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, 6/6/08,
Though such a warning is imperative, the situation is not all dire, and
the need of the hour is the implementation of the concepts of Green
Aviation, to a greater extent, though not totally.
To experience and enjoy it in reality we should think green and go
green to fly green.

Thank you