WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Representatives from a Purdue Research Park-based company will fly nearly 300 miles non-stop to one of the largest aviation conventions in the United States using a general aviation fuel that can be produced from biomass and other renewable products.
The fuel will be comparatively priced, more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendlier than others on the market, and meets or exceeds the standards for aviation fuel as verified by the ASTM International in Alexandria, Va., according to Mary Rusek, president and co-owner of Swift Enterprises. She co-founded the company with her husband John. ASTM International is one of the world's largest voluntary standards development organizations.
Brian Stirm and Charlie Holleman of Swift Enterprises will fly to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Friday (July 24) in Holleman's Van's Aircraft RV-4 airplane powered by Swift 100SF. They also will have a display booth in the Aviation Learning Center at the event.
Stirm, director of flight propulsion research at Swift Enterprises, said the convention encompasses every sector of aviation, including cutting-edge technology.
"EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always focused on what is coming onto the aviation scene from a technology standpoint," he said. "Swift Enterprises' 100SF will be among several alternative aviation fuels on exhibit. We will speak with industry officials, pilots and flight enthusiasts in Oshkosh to promote it."
Along with exhibiting their fuel at the Aviation Learning Center, Swift Enterprises officials will conduct a forum Thursday (July 30). They will provide an update on the previous year's forum to inform attendees about the company's plans for the future.
Swift Enterprises recently had a pilot plant built that will be able to produce about 200 gallons of fuel per day.
About Swift Enterprises
Established in 2001, Swift Enterprises aims to use renewable resources to end the energy crisis. Swift Enterprises works with hydrogen peroxide and novel chemicals as components in fuel cells and propellants. The scientists at Swift bring a combination of military, academic and private enterprise experience to the fundamental research and development of propulsion, ordnance and power technologies, and hardware. In the mid-1980s, company founders worked at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where they conducted research on rockets and rocket fuel for the government. Swift Enterprises has conducted research for Lockheed-Martin Astronautics, DARPA, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.
About Purdue Research Park
The 725-acre Purdue Research Park (www.purdueresearchpark.com) has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park is home to more than 150 companies. About 100 of these firms are technology-related and another 39 are incubator businesses. The park is owned and managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue University in the area of economic development. In addition to the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, the foundation has established technology parks in other locations around Indiana including Merrillville, New Albany and Indianapolis.
