Boeing And NASA Are Hot On The Aircraft Emissions Trail

aircraft in flight

Observers noted how—even without SAF—the CFM Leap-1B engines of the Boeing 737-10 ecoDemonstrator produced fewer contrails at the same altitude as NASA’s DC-8 powered by older-generation CFM56-2C powerplants.

Credit: Ryan Coe/Boeing
Trailing 3 nm behind a Boeing 737-10 at Mach 0.78 and 36,000 ft., the flight crew of NASA’s Douglas DC-8 airborne science lab is laser-focused on keeping the aircraft in precisely the right position as a suite of sensors collect air samples. Wisps of the 737’s contrail (condensation trail) flash...

Boeing And NASA Are Hot On The Aircraft Emissions Trail is available to both Aviation Week & Space Technology and AWIN subscribers.

Subscribe now to read this content, plus receive critical analysis into emerging trends, technological advancements, operational best practices and continuous updates to policy, requirements and budgets.

Already a subscriber to AW&ST or AWIN? Log in with your existing email and password.