Eglin strives for fuel efficiency on land, air

  • Published
  • By Ashley M. Wright
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Team Eglin is working to conserve fuel both in the air and on the ground.

"Fuel conservation is a DOD and Air Force priority," said Maj. Ryan Blake, 40th Flight Test Squadron Operations director. "By using all these [fuel saving techniques], it will reduce energy, get more bang for the buck and cut dependency on fuel."

The squadron, which flies about 2,000 missions per year, is taking several initiatives to reduce fuel in aircraft tests without reducing the number of missions flown, the major said.

One step toward increasing fuel efficiency for the squadron is projecting the correct amount of fuel needed for refueling tankers, Major Blake said. Any additional fuel requested for the mission that is not required makes the tankers less efficient due to the added weight of the jet fuel while flying. Since carefully monitoring how much fuel is requested, the squadron increased efficiency to 90 percent from 60 percent since 2008. That year, the squadron requested 1.1 million gallons of jet fuel. For 2010, the number of gallons is only 300,000. 

The squadron also combines several tests to save fuel.

"Everything we do is driven by test points," Major Blake said. "Some are flexible."

Combining tests reduces the number of flights. In a recent radar test, this allowed the test data from two flights to be collected in a single flight.

Other efforts include testing alternative fuels and using simulators when available. The 413th Flight Test Squadron accomplishes approximately 50 percent of quarterly pilot currency in the Hurlburt Field CV-22 simulator, which saves about 200,000 pounds of jet fuel annually.

Team Eglin is not only saving fuel in the air.

Executive orders mandate lowering fuel consumption two percent per year for a decade, said 1st Lt. James Martinelli, 96th Logistic Readiness Squadron Vehicle Maintenance Flight commander. Team Eglin is exceeding that two percent mandate with an average of 2.8 percent per year with its 1,923 government vehicles.

The second largest fleet in the Air Force has 163 vehicles that can run on E85 fuel, 85 percent ethanol capable.

"The low hanging fruit is gone," Lieutenant Martinelli said. "Individuals need to make choices to save fuel now."

These small steps taken with a fleet this size can add up to large results over a long period, the lieutenant said.

Tips to save fuel for both government and personal vehicles include consolidating trips, making sure the vehicle is in proper operating condition and minimizing idle time. Tips for using government vehicles include using the proper vehicle. Larger class vehicles like SUVs must be continuously justified by mission requirements, otherwise Air Force policy dictates that units use smaller class vehicles, he said.