In Washington, the Navy celebrated Earth Day on 22 April 2010 by showcasing a flight test of the "Green Hornet” — a F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jet

powered by a 50/50 blend of conventional jet fuel and Camdina aviation biofuel (www. biofuelsdigest. com). The test was conducted at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The exploration and adoption of alternative fuels is a priority for the Navy and Marine Corps.

In 2014, 100 million gallons of Camelina-based jet fuel is expected to be deliv­ered to 15 airlines by Sustainable Oils and AltAir.

There are a number of commercial hydroprocesing plants being built, most notably by Neste Oil and ConocoPhilips.

In the United States, given the strategic importance for the military to obtain copious amounts of domestically sourced energy and the blank check the Department of Defense receives, it is clear that aviation biofuels are coming.

On 20 June 2011 Boeing flew in its new 747-8 freighter from the United States to the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. All four engines were powered by a biofuel blend of ordinary Jet-A kerosene and 15% Camelina biokerosene. This was the first transatlantic crossing of a commercial airliner using a sustainable biofuel. The airplane completed a trip of 4335 nautical miles (8029 km). The Camelina was sourced from Montana, where it is grown as a rotation crop with wheat, and was processed by Honeywell UOP. According to Boeing, the 747-8 freighter required no modifications to the airplane, engines, or operating proce­dures to accommodate the biofuel blend.

Finally, two Camelina anecdotes. Among those with high hopes for Camelina is Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who is also an agronomist. Although he cannot put his arm around her, Brian Schweitzer raves about "my new girlfriend Camelina.” In my native tongue, which is Dutch, Camelina is called by the romantic name “Huttentut.” So Brian and Huttentut are a happy couple!

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