A new initiative that lays out a plan to transition piston-engine aircraft to lead-free aviation fuels by the end of 2030 has been revealed by FAA officials and the aviation industry.
The Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative calls for an industry and government partnership “to expand and accelerate the actions and policies necessary for a viable high-octane unleaded replacement for the current 100 octane low-lead aviation gasoline (100LL), without compromising the existing U.S. transportation infrastructure system, aviation safety, and the economic and broader public benefits of general aviation.”
The initiative has four key pillars — Business Infrastructure, Research and Development, Unleaded Fuel Testing and Qualification, and Regulatory and Policy.
The industry will be responsible for the first two pillars, while the FAA will be responsible for the last two, said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
A March 16, 2022 symposium will define a work plan for the initiative, he added.
“This is a safe and practical path to a lead-free aviation system,” Dickson said. “We look forward to starting this new partnership with aviation stakeholders to achieve this important goal.”
The FAA administrator also promised the initiative’s efforts would be transparent to pilots.
“We want to ensure pilots that they will be informed about the group’s progress,” he said. “We want to get every member of the general aviation community involved in this effort.”
Groups committed to the EAGLE initiative include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), American Petroleum Institute (API), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).
“We are proud to be a part of this pioneering initiative to chart a course for a future free of leaded fuels,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The EAGLE initiative is a very important step in ensuring the sustainability, safety, and security of aviation in the years to come.”
“The future of light general aviation depends on moving away from leaded fuels. To accomplish this imperative, it is important to note that our industry, as well as the industry providing our avgas, are united in partnering with the FAA to advance a sustainable future. The EAGLE public-private partnership will ensure coordination of a safe and reliable transition to an unleaded future state for piston-engine aircraft. GAMA’s manufacturing and maintenance companies look forward to working with the FAA, industry colleagues and other stakeholders to carry out this challenging and ambitious initiative. EAGLE will be the enabler for meeting our environment goals while keeping aviation safety, as well as the broader economic and public benefits provided by general aviation, at the forefront,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO.
“While the industry has a shared vision of a lead-free aviation future, the transition must be done in a smart and safe way, and in a manner that works for the entire general aviation fleet,” said Mark Baker, president and CEO of AOPA. “Joining together in a broad coalition to reinforce our commitment, and outlining the plan to get there, is a very positive step forward. We look forward to making good progress under the EAGLE banner.”
“Securing a lead-free future for aviation fuel is a formidable challenge, but the aviation community has faced and met previous challenges with ingenuity and imagination,” said Jack J. Pelton, CEO and chairman of the board of the EAA. “Our goal is to solve the complex issues surrounding lead-free aviation fuels with innovations that ensure safety, as well as reliability, marketplace availability, and continue to provide the countless benefits of general and recreational aviation to our nation and the world.”
The group’s commitment can be found here. A background document regarding EAGLE can be found here.
If the FAA has approved the Gami G100UL meets D910, then it is an approved fuel for 100/130 use.
So, there should be no requirement for an STC for all of our piston engines.!
There was no STC for my engine when 80 octane was replaced by 100 and then 100LL.
The FAA should buy the rights to G100UL and if Gami needs to be paid for their development costs , then add a few cents royalty to each gallon until the agreed price is repaid.
I already paid for an 87 octane auto gas STC that I can’t use, because there is no auto gas within 200 miles of me that is ethanol free .
Also, when a fuel like G100UL replaces 100LL, who will know if an aircraft has an STC for the fuel, if it’s the only avgas available ? [ or will anyone care or check ? ]
Since most airports only have one tank for avgas, only G100UL will be available.
Gotta laugh at how all the aviation alphabet groups have forgotten the debacle know as PAFI that the FAA completely screwed up…I’m really beginning to think there is a concerted effort to keep the GAMI unleaded fuel from becoming a reality because GAMI refused to accept the limitations that the FAA and PAFI had in place…GAMI is almost ready right now with a drop in replacement, this latest initiative adds 8 MORE YEARS to the process…unacceptable!
What about those of us with high compression piston engines (Franklin 220 hp 10.5:1)?
So, in the intervening eight years what’s going to be done with those rogue municipalities who unilaterally decide they can ban the sale of 100LL at their airports, as Santa Clara county has done with Reid-Hillview and South County airports? Half their resident GA fleet has to fill up elsewhere and tanker their fuel in. What’s to keep other cities and counties from following their example?
I’m really curious how the folks at GAMI feel about this. They’ve been working on it for a decade and a half, we’re passed over by the last initiative but kept working. That initiative failed but GAMI came out with an STC for an unleaded fuel that to date covers a large chunk of the GA piston engine population. That population is reported to be growing soon. Why no mention of that here??
“The industry will be responsible for the first two pillars, while the FAA will be responsible for the last two, said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.”
Translation: Industry will be responsible for coming up with solutions and the FAA will be responsible for doing what they do best: Getting in the way and making things more expensive.
Don’t believe me? Look at history!