We've spoken about the benefits of retro-fitting winglets on aircraft before. Now, Aviation Partners Boeing, the makers of winglet devices for the Boeing 737, 757 and 767 have announced just how much these devices can save - as of tomorrow, March 5 at 19:05 in Seattle, blended winglets will have saved the world's airlines 2 billion gallons of jet fuel. This represents a global reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 21.5 million tonnes since they were first introduced in 2001.

These winglets are now flying on more than 3,700 aircraft around the world and many, such as Air New Zealand, are finding that they are saving more fuel than planned. Airbus is also getting in on the game, joining Aviation Partners to design blended winglets for their own models.

- Image from Flickr user Erwyn van der Meer.

Two pieces of news from Paris-based Eurocopter in the past week, as reported by Wired Magazine:

1) The helicopter company is working on perfecting diesel-driven engine to power a new generation of choppers which could see fuel consumption cut by 40%.

2) In a radical new design of rotor blades, futuristically named "Blue Edge", Eurocopter has managed to design a much quieter helicopter - I would explain how it works, but Wired does a much better job of it. When used in conjunction with another new technology, "Blue Pulse" which actually places movable flaps on the trailing edge of helicopter rotors much like the back of normal aircraft wings, the rotary-winged aircraft market is set to become quieter (and sound a lot like Knight Rider in its marketing materials). The video below demonstrates the noise difference between normal rotor blades and the Blue Edge type:

In December, we witnessed the first test flight of the Boeing 787, a new generation of super-efficient aircraft. The 787 test aircraft (ZA001 and ZA002) have now logged well over 100 hours of flight tests and are proving to be even more fuel-efficient than the designers thought. Well, on Monday another new Boeing, the 747-8, took to the skies for the first time. And this new model will also be a very thrifty plane if the first test flight is anything to go by.

In 1969, Boeing rolled out the first generation of true jumbo jet - the 747. Since then, new models have included the -200, -300 and -400 series. But when Boeing sat down to look at its next generation of big aircraft, they decided to re-engineer the 747 with a whole new wing, new engines (actually based on the 787's engines), and a stretched fuselage. They called it the 747-8 series and these new features were designed specifically to increase fuel efficiency.

As Jason Paur of Wired Magazine reports, they may have reduced fuel use even more than they thought:

"Well into the first flight of Boeing’s new 747-8, co-pilot Tom Imrich brought up the fuel page on a display in the cockpit. Chief pilot Mark Feuerstein did a double take when he saw it. The plane, which was burning less fuel than expected. “You’re generally familiar with the odd burns — off nominal, and you know what they are,” Feuerstein said, explaining the unusual flying conditions of a first flight. “I said, ‘This is amazing.’”

The test flights, and first deliveries of this new aircraft, are the frieght-only version. But the normal version, expected to carry around 465 passengers, has been sold to Lufthansa and Korean Air.

The first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner took place yesterday. The event was webcasted for the whole world to watch via a feed Boeing provided on their website. They had set up seven cameras around Paine Field in Everett, Washington to record the maiden flight, which is still available to watch on-demand.
 

Things are hotting up here in Copenhagen. After the country representatives spent all last week working on the text dealing with aviation, suddenly yesterday the President of the COP - who chairs the proceedings - announced that she was splitting these workstreams into even smaller groups and making the sessions closed to observers. It is very difficult for us to know what is happening behind these closed doors, so we just continue to speak to delegates in the halls and track the other exciting news of the day - the expected first flight of the Boeing 787.

This aircraft heralds a new era in efficient flight - built from lightweight composite materials and utilising new engine and aerodynamic design, it is 20% more efficient per passenger than the aircraft they replace. After a number of delays, partly due to the brand new technology that has been developed, the 787 test aircraft took its first high-speed run yesterday in Seattle. Today, at 10am Pacific Standard Time (7 pm CET), subject to weather conditions - and it is fairly cold in Seattle at this point - the aircraft will take off for its first flight. We will be watching and bring you any new information, but if you want to watch yourself, Boeing are providing a live feed on their website.

While some 15,000 delegates make their way here for the Copenhagen Climate Talks which start tomorrow, back in Switzerland something else was happening...

One of the topics under discussion amongst delegates here is breakthrough technology that can really change the way we operate. In aviation, we are working on a number of these technologies: advanced second-generation biofuels, new airframe designs and potentially new ways to power aircraft systems. One such exploration is solar power.

A team in Switzerland, led by the inimitable Bertrand Piccard, has constructed Solar Impulse - a plane that will in the next couple of years, complete an around-the-world flight powered by nothing more than solar energy.

This week, the aircraft made its first steps towards that flight by getting airborne for the first time. This video shows the event which, to my eyes, is reminiscent of the old Wright Brothers footage from Kitty Hawke (although the camera technology has moved on just a little bit!).

Now, we don't think that solar energy will be enough to power commercial flights, but there are all sorts of on-board systems like air conditioning or in-flight entertainment that could use solar energy. We'll be keeping an eye on Solar Impulse as it starts flying more confidently.

Air New Zealand's recent order of A320 aircraft to replace its domestic jet fleet is going to come with a little something extra - sharklets! These are an extension to the current Airbus A320 wingtips that will increase efficiency and reduce fuel use by a whopping 3.5% (or around 700 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft, per year). They are really just a fancy name for winglets. Crankyflier has made an amusing suggestion of what they may look like, but in reality, they will look like the computer mock-up above. Kiwis flying domestically from 2012 will get to see them first-hand.

Japanese airline ANA, has been setting the standards high this month for finding original and effective ideas that cut carbon emissions. The latest addition to ANA’s innovative schemes is their unique carbon offset programme, which allows passengers to offset the impact of their flight directly through their mobile phone. Codes are printed on posters and pamphlets in airports where ANA operates for passengers to scan using their phones. They then receive information on the amount of CO2 emitted during their flight and the cost of offsetting these emissions, with an option to make a donation directly through their phone to cover these costs. Given its simplicity, this carbon offsetting scheme is expected to be a big success – predictions are that 400,000 passengers will take part in this scheme annually, resulting in a cut of 31,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

This week also saw Rolls-Royce officially introduce their newest engine from the AE 3007 series – the AE 3007A2, for use in the Embraer large executive jet, the Legacy 650. The new engine boasts superior performance than its predecessor and greater fuel efficiency, particularly over long ranges. It is expected to enter into service next year!

‘Research and Markets’ have provided us with some uplifting news this week, announcing the release of their new ‘Airports go green’ report. As we’ve noted in recent weeks, airports have made significant contributions in fighting climate change by adopting numerous strategies to limit their emissions. ‘Airports go green’ is dishing out some well-deserved praise to those airports that have acted to reduce their environmental impact, offering case studies and explaining the initiatives that have been taken. It is just this type of encouragement which will create the incentive for others to follow!

New cross-industry agreements are resulting in further improvements in the environmental performance of aircrafts. For example, the long-term supply agreement established this week between Honeywell and China Southern Airlines, which will see new Auxiliary Power Units installed in their Airbus A320’s and Boeing Next-Generation 737’s. This move is set to reduce fuel consumption by 5% per aircraft.
 
Looking forward, Airbus is expected to make an announcement in the coming weeks on the new winglet programme for the Airbus A320 family… once it has decided which winglet design it will use! Airbus has already said it will go ahead with the programme which will reduce fuel burn by 2% - 4% depending on the design chosen. So now all that’s left is to make the final decision: an Aviation Partners blended winglet design, or an Airbus-own design interestingly called "sharklets"?

In the news this week airports have shown positive improvements as they make their own contributions to lowering carbon emissions.

Sky Harbor International Airport, Pheonix, has announced plans to lower their carbon footprint by converting airport-based vehicles to alternate fuels and building a $1.1 billion automated train that aims to take thousands of cars off the streets near Sky Harbor. Measures are also being taken by airlines operating at Sky Harbor to cut emissions on the ground by replacing diesel-powered ground-support vehicles with electric versions.

San Francisco International Airport has also been working hard, becoming the first in the nation to allow passengers to off-set their carbon emissions from flights. Climate Passport kiosks located in the airport determine how many pounds of CO2 a trip will produce and calculate accordingly how much an environmentally-friendly traveler should contribute in order to off-set their travel. Passengers are then able to purchase these certified carbon offsets.

In other news, the European Voice published an interesting piece on the aviation industry’s development of new fuels and innovative technology. The article talks of the vast improvement we have witnessed in biofuel development, as it has gone from being simply an “interesting concept” to being tested in flights in just 18 months. Also mentioned, is the new ‘silent’ aircraft, the Sax-40, an aircraft designed with wings that blend seamlessly into the body of the plane, reducing noise and carbon emissions.

The aviation industry, it seems, is well on the way to achieving its very ambitious targets!