Renewable Fuel Powers Crop Duster

Depressed about the high price of aviation fuel? Don't turn to drinking to drown your sorrows, you may need that ethanol to power your aircraft in the future. Neiva delivered an ethanol-powered crop duster to a customer at a ceremony held in Botucato, Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

The airplane is named the Ipanema, which has been in production for more than 30 years. The plane was the 1000th unit of the type, and is the first production aircraft in the world certified to use ethanol as its fuel. The company, Industria Aeronautica Neiva, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Embraer. They produced 83 Ipanemas last year, and 46 in 2003.

Neiva received the type certificate for an alcohol-fueled aircraft in October 2004. Brazil is a major producer of ethanol, produced from sugar cane. It has been used in their automobiles for more than 20 years. Gasoline is up to five times more expensive than ethanol, pollutes more, and is not renewable.

Company officials claim their ethanol-powered engines are more durable and seven percent more powerful, according to media reports. Neiva has over 100 orders to convert already flying aircraft to the new engine. The Brazilian government expects that more small aircraft will be converted to ethanol in the future to conserve oil-based fuels.

FMI: www.embraer.com