Military Plans Tests in Search for an Alternative to Oil-Based Fuel
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/us/14fuel.html?ex=1305259200&en=35f7d3a2d3d9425d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
WASHINGTON, May 13 When an F-16 lights up its afterburners, it consumes nearly 28 gallons of fuel per minute. No wonder, then, that of all the fuel the United States government uses each year, the Air Force accounts for more than half. The Air Force may not be in any danger of suffering inconveniences from scarce or expensive fuel, but it has begun looking for a way to power its jets on something besides conventional fuel.
In a series of tests first on engines mounted on blocks and then with B-52's in flight the Air Force will try to prove that the American military can fly its aircraft by blending traditional crude-oil-based jet fuel with a synthe