Swift Fuels’ unleaded avgas UL94 will become available Sept. 15, 2019, at San Carlos Airport (KSQL) in California.
KSQL is the first airport in California to sell the unleaded aviation gasoline, according to Swift officials.
To accommodate the new fuel, Rabbit Aviation Services has completed a planned upgrade to its aviation fuel tank facility.
“Nobody likes lead, neither your engine nor the environment,” said Dan DeMeo, CEO of Rabbit Aviation Services. “General aviation needs a piston fuel for the future and that future doesn’t include toxic lead, so why not begin the transition with the highest-quality unleaded fuel?”
“Working with our airport management and our elected county supervisors, we drafted the first agreement to supply a lead-free avgas alternative in the state,” he continued. “We hope this is the first of many such agreements to ensure general aviation has a piston fuel for the future. Swift’s UL94 solves the issues brought by tetraethyllead and ethylene dibromide by radically lowering toxicity and engine corrosion, eliminating lead-fouled sparkplugs, and doubling the oil change intervals vs. those required for 100LL. Our pilots and our community see a large positive benefit to using UL94.”
“Swift Fuels’ UL94 is the only commercially-available unleaded avgas in the US, it’s sold nationwide, it’s commercially insured for aviation, and pilots who use it love it,” said Chris D’Acosta, CEO for Swift Fuels. “Dan DeMeo has been a champion of this effort, working with many local community leaders to join the progressive nationwide movement toward unleaded avgas. In fact, similar news on fuel expansions is expected soon in Texas and Florida.”
More than 110,000 aircraft are already FAA authorized to use UL94 as a “drop-in ready” fuel, D’Acosta added.
He adds that UL94 is not a full replacement for 100LL, so only those aircraft with engine/airframes requiring 94 motor-octane fuels or lower are compatible — which represents 65% of the US piston fleet.
Wasn’t there and article a month ago about Swift fuel dropping out of the research being done for an avgas alternative? If I recall Shell was the only one left in the competition, and the FAA was approving their fuel only. I’m confused…….
Where do we find a list of which engines can burn no leaded fuel?
Rather odd “announcement.” KSQL has been on the Swift Fuels UL94 map since at least 2016. And it’s just becoming available now? Why is this news?
From what I understand, it costs about the same as 100LL. Haven’t seen it anywhere yet, though.
I bought 94 UL from Rabbit Aviation in KSQL early last year and wrote up my experience with in the Piper Flyer and Cessna Flyer magazines. As I recall it was the same price as 100LL. I Had to buy an STC from Swift to legally burn it. Cost for STC was $3/ horsepower.
Yes, I too would like to see a price when these articles tell us about some new product or development. However, I just checked AirNav, and there’s no mention of this fuel for this airport, so maybe it is not available yet. I am very interested to see how the price of this new unleaded fuel compares to 100LL.
Why is it when ever you see a new product for GA the advertiser NEVER mentions the price? That is always a concern for us folks that work for a living. Blue skys.
Must be a reason the price is not mentioned!?