Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program

Approved in 1975 and begun in 1976, the Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) program was managed by NASA and funded through 1983, as yet another round of research and development activities were put in work to improve the state of the art of aircraft structural and propulsion design. And once again, the program was aimed at pushing the technological envelope to see what might be possible. Then, based on that information, new Government regulations could be enacted, and the airline industry could decide if the improvements would offer a good return on its investment. The answer, as it turned out, was an enthusiastic yes, as the overall results of the pro­gram led directly to the introduction of the Boeing 757 and 767.[1307]

Driving this particular program was the rapid increase in fuel costs since 1973 and the accompanying energy crisis, which was brought on by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries’ decision to embargo all shipments of oil to the United States. This action began in October 1973 and continued to March 1974. As a result of this and other economic influences, the airlines saw their fuel prices as a per­centage of direct operating costs rise from 25 percent to as high as 50 percent within a few weeks. With the U. S. still vulnerable to a future oil embargo, along with general concerns about an energy shortage, the

Federal Government reacted by ordering NASA to lead an effort to help find ways for airlines to become more profitable. Six projects were ini­tiated under the ACEE program, three of which had to do with the air­craft structure and three of which involved advancing engine technology. The aircraft projects included Composite Structures, Energy Efficient Transport, and Laminar Flow Control. The propulsion technology proj­ects included Engine Component Improvement, Energy Efficient Engine, and Advanced Turboprop—all three of which are detailed next.[1308]