SAF-Fueled Helicopters Head to Verticon

[Credit: Avfuel]

Helicopters fueled with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will be featured at this year's Vertical Aviation International (VAI) convention, known as Verticon, taking place this week at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas.

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SAF is made from renewable sources such as sustainable feedstocks (cornstalks and used cooking oil). Compared to traditional jet fuel, it is capable of reducing life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent while maintaining the same performance and safety standards as fossil-based fuels.

Verticon, formerly known as Heli-Expo, is an annual conference and trade show for the vertical aviation industry. Many of the aircraft flown into the show were fueled by a 30 percent SAF blend provided by Avfuel, AIN.com reported.

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"[The use of SAF at Verticon is] a meaningful step toward reducing aviation’s carbon footprint and fostering a cleaner, more sustainable future for helicopter operations," James Viola, president and CEO of VAI, said in a statement. "The future of vertical aviation depends on our ability to innovate and adopt sustainable solutions."

Helicopters SAF Sustainability Sustainable Aviation Fuel Verticon

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.