Sun, Feb 20, 2011
Air Mobility Command Looks To Increase Fuel Efficiency On Every
Flight
As the Air Force's largest consumer of aviation fuel, Air
Mobility Command officials are taking a leadership role in efforts
to reduce fuel consumption across all mobility Air Force missions.
Members of AMC's Test and Evaluation Squadron at Joint Base
Mcguire-Dix-Lakehurst, recently completed an operational evaluation
of a new fuel savings concept called Mission Index Flying, which
utilizes airborne solution software in the cockpit, allowing
aircrews to fly at optimal altitudes and airspeeds for their
current flight conditions, thereby minimizing flight time and fuel
burn and reducing operating costs.
AMC Fuel Efficiency Office officials benchmarked the concept
from the commercial aviation industry, which uses similar
technology, and designed a program to integrate MIF into the
mobility fleet. Once operational, MIF could reduce fuel burn across
MAF aircraft by 1 to 2 percent, or roughly $32.7 million per year
in fuel costs.
Beginning Jan. 17, Maj. Ryan Orfe, Maj. Jonathan Mackay and
Capt. Linda Thierauf, the test directors, teamed with pilots from
the 6th Airlift Squadron on C-17 Globemaster III flights from the
U.S. to Europe to evaluate this fuel savings concept. During
fifteen sorties, the C-17 pilots operated the test software and
hardware and commented on how this new system affects their
responsibilities in the cockpit during different phases of
flight.
The MIF Airborne Solution software is a standalone,
Windows-based flight planning program that aircrews will use on
AMC-mission laptop computers or electronic flight bags during
sortie execution. Utilizing data collected during this test, AMC
TES officials will evaluate if the MIF Airborne Solution software
is effective and suitable for aircrew use during C-17 strategic
airlift missions.
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