How can we continue to operate our air traffic in a more climate-friendly way today and tomorrow? This is precisely the question that researchers and scientists around the world are currently working on. And in Germany too, of course!
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the aircraft manufacturer and the aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft conducted the world’s first measurement flights behind a turboprop aircraft powered by 100 percent synthetic, aromatic-free fuel back in October. The DLR Falcon measured the emissions of the D328 UpLift at a distance of 50 to 500 meters.
The aim was to reduce not only the CO2 footprint of air traffic but also particulate emissions and climate-warming contrails, thus paving the way for climate-friendly aviation. Starting from Oberpfaffenhofen Airport, the first emission measurements on the ground and four research flights with 100 percent synthetic fuel have already taken place. Six more research flights are planned by the end of October 2024.
Photo: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
