Avgas is the lifeblood of general aviation and must remain available while the industry develops a safe, affordable alternative, officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) told members of the Senate General Aviation Caucus during a Nov. 21 briefing. “There’s uncertainty related to the future of avgas right now, and that’s affecting people’s decisions from purchasing aircraft, making upgrades, and developing new products,” Rob Hackman, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs, is quoted in a report at AOPA.org.
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Mogas is a great alternative and it is sad that we are forbidden from using it due to it’s not being available at airports. I do not use it because it stinks and puts off fumes that give me a severe headache and nausea. My engine needs a good “avgas” that does not have lead in it. Lead really messes up my engine. Why do the people in this country have NO voice anymore. Where is John Gault when you need him?
Yes, the alphabets really have lost focus on the real issues. We need Mogas okayed, and we need a democratic republic that listens to the people’s request that the third class medical be eliminated, so that we can fly our very fine legacy airplanes.
Avgas is a bit like smoking cigarettes at the moment. Charge ’em $6 or even $8 /gallon and we’re gonna burn it. Eventually the elastic will stretch to it’s breaking point and the fun will be gone. Remember, Avgas is a “boutique” fuel which means it takes up no precious space in the pipelines of America. Actually Avgas would do a great job of cleaning those dirty pipelines, but it would foul our fuel – no thanks. As long as it’s convenient to produce, manufactures will be glad to sell you as much as you’d like for $6+ /gallon. Consider this too, depending on which usury state in which you live, $-2-4 of that is taxes – so who’s luv’n who now? What a shame if that state income was suddenly lost.
The manufacturers have been sleeping with the oil companies since transportation began. I expect no less from the present list of aristocrats. Once the fun is over, the divorce will begin. Yes, the Europeans and even the Tibetan monks are on a smarter trail than the US bureaucrats. It sure is nice though that folks keep dumping money into the AOPA engine so the big wigs can fly around burn’n that Jet-A in the Citation.
C’mon people, the technology is there – we just need someone with the minerals to make it happen and happen cheaper. Taking the alcohol out of mogas is easier than changing diapers. Oh, but that would hurt those poor corn subsidies – wouldn’t it?
It’s déjà Vu, all over again. The alphabets have not said or learned a thing different in at least a decade on this subject, and feel content to keep all our eggs in one crumbling basket. Look what this attitude has done to US sport aviation – only one of ten planes is flown regularly due to the high cost of Avgas and lack of competition from mogas; flight training is way down due to higher costs due to Avgas; shops are closing left and right due to lack of business; nearly all new engine technology is coming from Europe, where most pilots now use mogas and all new engines run on it or Jet-A. But if you live in the bubbles of Frederick, Oshkosh or D.C., none of this seems to matter. There is not one true leader today among the large aviation alphabets, making them largely irrelevant. What a pity for a once thriving industry in the US, RIP.