Photo Credit: JetZero
JetZero has secured $5.3 million in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through the fourth phase of its Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) initiative. The award will support the installation of specialized engine and nacelle monitoring equipment on the company’s full-scale Jet1 Demonstrator, allowing researchers to collect in-flight data on its distinctive upper-mounted engine configuration. Measurements will examine airflow at the engine inlet and fan exit during various flight conditions, including takeoff, climb, cruise and crosswind ground operations.
The project is intended to provide real-world performance data that could help advance the development and certification of aircraft featuring engines positioned above the fuselage, a design intended to reduce noise around airports. JetZero’s planned Z4 aircraft incorporates this configuration and is projected to achieve fuel-efficiency improvements of up to 50% compared with similarly sized conventional aircraft using equivalent propulsion technology. The initiative supports broader aviation industry efforts to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and community noise while advancing future aircraft designs.
Business aviation manufacturers are incubators for aircraft designs and propulsion systems that increase efficiency and reduce emissions while sustaining jobs that power the economy.
