Distribution Statement A – Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
USAF Center of Excellence for Airworthiness
DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AA-15-02
Headquarters Air Force Life Cycle Management Center 28 APR 2015
Engineering and Technical Management/Services Directorate
Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7017
Airworthiness Advisory
FAME Contamination Limit Change for Commercial Jet Fuel (Jet A/Jet A-1)
PURPOSE:
Assessment of airworthiness impact of a change to the commercial jet fuel (Jet A/Jet A-1)
specification (ASTM D1655).
SCOPE:
Applies to most USAF aircraft operating from or transitioning through CONUS bases.
CANCELLATIONS: NONE.
REFERENCED DOCUMENTS:
ASTM D1655 (Commercial Jet Fuel Specification)
MIL-HDBK-510 AEROSPACE FUELS CERTIFICATION HANDBOOK
MIL-HDBK-516B AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATION CRITERIA HANDBOOK
ENERGY INSTITUTE RESEARCH REPORT -- JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT:
SEEKING ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER (OEM) APPROVAL FOR
100 MG/KG FATTY ACID METHYL ESTER (FAME) IN AVIATION TURBINE
FUEL (February 2014)
BACKGROUND:
The DoD is in the process of converting most CONUS aviation locations to commercial Jet A
fuel. One challenge the Jet A conversion introduces is that the military services are no longer in
control of changes to the specification for the fuel that USAF aircraft will now operate on.
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) members voted to increase the permissible
amount of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) from 5 parts per million (PPM) to 50 PPM. The
vote also adds guidance that the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have agreed to
permit use of jet fuel containing up to 100 PPM FAME on an emergency basis and the OEMs
intend to consider further relaxing the FAME limit to 100 PPM after the 50 PPM limit has been
in force for 2 years. The new FAME limits in the Jet A fuel specification became effective on 2
February 2015.
FAME is essentially biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel is manufactured from animal or vegetable fats/oils
through a trans-esterification process with methanol. The reason ASTM made the specification
change is to enable diesel fuel (containing biodiesel) to be transported in the same media (e.g.
primarily barges and pipelines) as jet fuel.
