Bell 505 becomes world’s first single engine helicopter to fly on Sustainable Aviation Fuel only

Bell Textron Inc. has announced that the Bell 505 has completed its first flight fuelled solely by 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), marking it the first-ever single engine helicopter to fly with SAF alone.

Bell collaborated with Safran Helicopter Engines, Neste, GKN Aerospace and Virent Inc. to make this flight possible.

Michael Thacker, Executive Vice President, Commercial Business, Bell, said: “This flight is a monumental achievement for sustainability and decarbonization in the rotorcraft industry.

“Showcasing a single engine aircraft’s flight capabilities with 100 per cent SAF signals Bell’s commitment to alternative fuel usage and builds on its sustainability practices in its flight operations.”

Valentin Safir, Executive Vice President, Programs, Safran Helicopter Engines said: “SAF is one of the key pillars in our strategy to decarbonize the helicopter industry. Our engines are certified to operate on up to 50 per cent SAF and our objective is to certify in the coming years the use of 100 per cent SAF, which can potentially result in carbon lifecycle emissions reductions by up to 80per cent.”

Neste and Virent collaborated to blend, test, and deliver the SAF for this project as a 100 per cent drop-in fuel. SAF, made from used cooking oil or other bio-based feedstocks, typically must be blended with petroleum products because it doesn’t include a component called ‘aromatics’, which is required to meet today’s aviation fuel specifications.

Virent manufactures an aromatics component made from renewable plant sugars, which was added to Neste’s neat SAF, eliminating the need to blend SAF with petroleum fuel. The SAF supplied for this test flight by Neste and Virent is, therefore, a ‘100 per cent drop-in’ replacement for petroleum-based aviation fuel, requiring no engine modifications.

France’s General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) also recently conducted a successful test flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel.