Dr Bill Lyons is Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Research and Technology – Australia. He is also a Technical Fellow, one of the Boeing Company’s enterprise experts in aerospace. Prior to taking over the General Manager position, he was based in Seattle in the Global technology Organization and was responsible for conceiving, planning and implementing international technology alliances, and collaborative R&D.

In his technical career with Boeing, he led a number of development programs related to space-based remote sensing as well as modeling of atmospheric emissions by aircraft. He also is a member of the Boeing Company’s Sustainable Biofuels Steering Team, guiding Boeing strategy to enable a viable commercial market for sustainable aviation fuel.

He has over 18 years experience in Systems Engineering and Systems Development for satellite applications. Before joining Boeing he was an Assistant Professor in Satellite Remote Sensing and Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. He has also held Australian Government appointments in the Departments of Defence and Agriculture, including international assignments in South East Asia, representing Australian Government interests.

He is originally from Australia and has lived in the United States since 1998 and holds dual U.S. and Australian Citizenship.

Presentation Synopsis

Aviation is fundamental to the Australian way of life. Aviation safely and affordably connects our citizens and our businesses to each other and to the world. We are reliant on air transport to support business including the tourism industry which creates jobs for half a million Australians and contributes billions of dollars to our economy. Aviation is also critical to regional development and prosperity. While the benefits of aviation are clear, as producers of greenhouse gases, the aviation industry has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse emissions. New technology aircraft, fuel conservation and improved airspace management offer the most immediate way to reduce aviation's environmental impact, however, sustainable aviation fuels offer the largest single opportunity for reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions.

The development and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel challenges specific to this region and these will be discussed in the presentation. When implemented, the utilization of low carbon fuels will assist in decoupling sector growth from its emissions allowing the industry to successfully operate in a low carbon economy. Proven technology has been developed that converts bio-derived oils into synthetic kerosene. Recent test flights indicate that bio-derived fuels meet or exceed traditional jet fuel. The major challenges now are around scale, commercial viability and environmental sustainability. Many airlines, including Air New Zealand, QANTAS and Virgin Blue, have committed to using biomass based jet fuel only if the appropriate sustainability principles are in place. Therefore Boeing and its partners in aviation, are working to ensure the framework is in place to ensure that fuel production methodologies do not compete for food, water or arable land or pose bio-security risks.