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New fuel savings concept evaluated at JB MDL

  • Published
  • By Karen Dooney
  • Air Mobility Command Test and Evaluation Squadron
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  As the Air Force's largest consumer of aviation fuel, Air Mobility Command is taking a leadership role in efforts to reduce fuel consumption across all mobility Air Force missions.

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. MIF 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.

The AMC Fuel Efficiency Office 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.

Starting the week of Jan. 17, Test Directors, Maj. Ryan Orfe, Maj. Jonathan Mackay and Capt. Linda Thierauf, teamed with pilots from the 6th Airlift Squadron on C-17 flights from the United States to Europe to evaluate this fuel savings concept.

During fifteen sorties, the C-17 pilots operated the test software and hardware and also 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 aircrews will use on AMC mission laptop computers or electronic flight bags during sortie execution.

Utilizing data collected during this test, AMC TES will evaluate if the MIF Airborne Solution software is effective and suitable for aircrew use during C-17 strategic airlift missions.