Jet Fuel

Control of a 200-mile pipeline that once carried jet fuel to the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine is being auctioned off. The 6-inch pipeline was built in the 1950s at the height of the Cold War to transport jet fuel from Searsport to the base in Limestone. It was decommissioned in 1994. The mortgage holder to the pipeline is going to auction the pipeline, the 50-foot right of way around the pipeline and associated equipment on June 4. The auction was scheduled after Loring BioEnergy, which had previously leased the pipeline, defaulted on its payments.

Control of a 200-mile pipeline that once carried jet fuel to the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine is being auctioned off. The 6-inch pipeline was built in the 1950s at the height of the Cold War to transport jet fuel from Searsport to the base in Limestone. It was decommissioned in 1994. The mortgage holder to the pipeline is going to auction the pipeline, the 50-foot right of way around the pipeline and associated equipment on June 4. The auction was scheduled after Loring BioEnergy, which had previously leased the pipeline, defaulted on its payments.

PHOENIX - With the price of oil holding above $110 a barrel, everything from wood chips to chicken fat is being scrutinized as an alternative to traditional fuel. But when it comes to airplanes, finding the right mix poses a special challenge. "When you're in an airplane, you don't want your fuel to start solidifying," said Robert Dunn, a Department of Agriculture chemical engineer who is studying biodiesel jet fuel. The airline industry is aggressively pushing for homegrown alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel, while leaning on customers with a variety of new travel charges to help control a...

Southwest Airlines Co. is worried that the days of easy fare increases are over. The airline had a surprisingly good first quarter, helped by a 5 percent increase in the average ticket — part of a three-year trend of higher prices at Southwest, which carries more U.S. passengers than any other airline. But Southwest's planes were a bit less crowded than a year ago, and CEO Gary Kelly acknowledged Thursday he's concerned that some passengers are resisting higher fares. Southwest reported net income of $98 million, helped by gains from hedging contracts designed to blunt the...

NASHVILLE - FedEx Corp. reduced its quarterly and yearly earnings expectations yesterday and analysts suggested that forecasts could be pared for future periods if fuel prices don't stabilize. The Memphis-based shipper blamed soaring fuel costs and a troubled US freight market for the reduced estimate that led company shares to plunge 4.5 percent and set a 52-week low yesterday. Finance chief Alan B. Graf Jr. said in a release the company fuel surcharge system can't react quickly enough to cover rapid fuel price increases.

NEW YORK -- Crude oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel yesterday as thwarted airplane attacks led many carriers to cancel flights, which could mean dampened jet fuel demand and weaker consumer confidence. Prices also deflated after Shell said it was bringing back 180,000 barrels of daily oil production in Nigeria. Goldman Sachs , meanwhile, said it would end its participation in the New York Harbor unleaded gasoline contract, as expected, but wouldn't roll its money into another contract.

The maker of fuel products from genetically modified algae rose on speculation its Defense Department business will grow, even as raw materials costs rise. Last week, a Pentagon report highlighted "a strong interest in securing non-petroleum sources of fuel. " Solazyme has already delivered about 108,000 gallons of renewable diesel and jet fuel to the military, though it is not yet in full commercial operation.

DALLAS - Airlines have already imposed two broad fare increases in 2012, but the latest effort to raise prices is stalling. Low-fare airlines are hesitating to match last week's increase of up to $10 per round trip, led by United and Continental. Fare trackers said yesterday that United and others that raised prices last week were scaling them back, at least on routes where they compete with discount airlines like Southwest. But with jet fuel prices rising, they figure it is only a matter of time before airlines try again to raise fares.

Airlines stocks fell as fuel prices rose. United Continental Holdings, the world's biggest airline, fell 9.1 percent. Delta Air Lines lost 78 cents, or 7.2 percent, to close at $10.05. And US Airways Group saw the biggest decline percentage wise, closing down $1.01, or 11.35 percent, at $7.89. Jet fuel is the single biggest expense for most airlines. As of last week the price had risen 12 percent over the past year.

ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. , buffeted by high fuel costs in the wake of Katrina and Rita, yesterday said it is reducing its domestic flight schedule. The Atlanta-based carrier isn't experiencing a shortage of jet fuel, but is conserving energy, it said. Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said it's impossible to say exactly how many flights will be reduced because it will depend on travel each day. The reductions will be minimal, though, affecting early morning and late-night flights that have low bookings, Kelly said.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino outlined a $2.4 billion budget plan today to the City Council that would boost city spending by 2.5 percent, an increase that essentially keeps pace with rising costs. The proposal, which would go into effect July 1, represents a $60 million rise from the current budget. Menino said the additional funding will come in part from an anticipated increase in revenue from the taxes on jet fuel, hotel rooms, and meals because "this is a city people want to come to. " "This is a good budget," Menino told the City Council and his department heads at a breakfast meeting at City Hall.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Zooming along at 170 miles per hour in a fighter jet carrying thousands of pounds of volatile fuel, two Navy pilots faced nothing but bad choices when their aircraft malfunctioned over Virginia's most populated city. "Catastrophic engine system failure right after takeoff, which is always the most critical phase of flying, leaves very, very few options," said aviation safety expert and decorated pilot J.F. Joseph. "You literally run out of altitude, air speed, and ideas all at the same time," he said.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A fighter jet that malfunctioned just after takeoff hurtled into a Virginia Beach apartment complex on Friday in a spectacular crash that sent flames and black smoke billowing from the rubble. The two pilots managed to eject just before and suffered minor injuries, as did five people on the ground. Several residents described hearing an explosion and looking out their windows to see the red and orange blaze. In the confusion that followed, two men helped one of the bloodied pilots of the two-seat F/A-18D Hornet move to safety.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Emergency crews searched the charred remains of a Virginia Beach apartment complex Friday after a fighter jet crashed into it just after takeoff in what Navy officials called a ‘‘catastrophic mechanical malfunction. " Two Navy pilots — a student and an instructor from nearby Naval Air Station Oceana — ejected just before the jet careened into the apartment complex, demolishing sections of some buildings and engulfing others in flames. Some 40 apartment units were damaged or destroyed in the crash, but hours later no fatalities had been...

The maker of fuel products from genetically modified algae rose on speculation its Defense Department business will grow, even as raw materials costs rise. Last week, a Pentagon report highlighted "a strong interest in securing non-petroleum sources of fuel. " Solazyme has already delivered about 108,000 gallons of renewable diesel and jet fuel to the military, though it is not yet in full commercial operation.

Driving under caution at the Daytona 500, Juan Pablo Montoya felt the back end of his car break, sending it into a spin. Unable to stop and bearing down on a safety truck, he didn't panic. He treated it like going over a speed bump a little too fast. "You don't think 'oh my God, I'm going to kill myself,"' he said Friday while recalling the accident. "You go 'oh, this is going to hurt a little bit.' It wasn't that bad. " It could have been much worse. Trying to catch up to the field during a caution, Montoya slammed into the back of a jet dryer when his car broke late in the race.

NEW YORK - For the first time, the top export of the United States, the world's biggest gas guzzler, is fuel. Measured in dollars, the nation is on pace this year to ship more gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel than any other single export, according to US Census data going back to 1990. It will also be the first year in more than 60 that America has been a net exporter of these fuels. Just how big of a shift is this? A decade ago, fuel was not even among the top 25 exports. And for the last five years, America's top export was aircraft.

HYANNIS - Buy a Cape Air ticket, and you'll get a cramped seat that doesn't recline, on a plane that doesn't have a toilet, on a flight that doesn't offer pillows or peanuts. Yet while higher fuel costs and a travel slowdown have caused major carriers to cut capacity and several regional airlines to shut down, Cape Air this year expects to post its largest annual growth ever, because of its strategy of offering frequent flights on small planes to hard-to-reach communities. The Hyannis-based regional carrier will have added nine routes in the 12 months ending in November, 33 percent more...

The driver of the safety truck that exploded into flames during the Daytona 500 thanked NASCAR fans Tuesday night for their concern. Duane Barnes was driving the jet dryer that was hit under caution when something broke on Juan Pablo Montoya's car and sent it careening into the truck. The collision caused a raging inferno that scorched the track and stopped Monday night's race for just over two hours. "I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am," Barnes said in a statement.