Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Rolls-Royce plans to use 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power a Trent turbofan during ground tests as part of its UltraFan next-generation engine demonstrator program, the company revealed Thursday. The tests, if successful, would confirm that unblended SAF makes a significant contribution to improving the environmental performance of gas turbine engines, said the company.

 


Low-carbon fuel specialist World Energy of Paramount, California, produced the SAF Rolls-Royce plans to use for the tests. Sourced by Shell Aviation and delivered by SkyNRG, the unblended fuel can reduce CO2 lifecycle emissions by more than 75 percent compared with conventional jet fuel, said Rolls-Royce.

 


The tests aim to demonstrate that Rolls-Royce’s current engines can operate with 100 percent SAF as a full “drop-in” option, laying the groundwork for moving such fuels towards certification. Today’s certification allows for use of blends of up to 50 percent.

 


The engine maker said the ground tests will start in the “coming weeks” in Derby, UK, where the Trent engine involved&nbsp;will also incorporate the UltraFan program’s ALECSys (advanced low emissions combustion system) lean-burn technology.

 


“Aviation is a tremendous force for good, keeping the world connected, but we have to do that sustainably,” said Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Paul Stein. “These tests aim to show that we can deliver real emissions reductions. If SAF production can be scaled up—and aviation needs 500 million tonnes a year by 2050—we can make a huge contribution for our planet.”&nbsp;

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

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