U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) have introduced legislation that would require the FAA to create an education program about general aviation’s transition to unleaded fuel.
With general aviation’s stated goal of being lead-free by 2030, the Undoing National Lead Exposure through Authorizing Directed Education from DOT (UNLEADED) Act would :
- Direct the FAA to establish an education program that would include information related to the compatibility and availability of unleaded avgas with GA aircraft engines, as well as what certifications would be needed to use the fuels
- Publicize the status of all variations of unleaded aviation gasoline undergoing authorization by the FAA
- Ensure the newly established education program is made available to flight instructors and flight schools, and
- Facilitate annual education and training for FBOs that transport and handle unleaded aviation gasoline.
“General aviation is critically important to our national economy and to emergency services like medical transport and disaster response, but it remains the largest source of lead emissions in the United States,” said Beyer. “Although new unleaded aviation fuel alternatives are being developed and certified, many pilots and operators lack clear information about their availability, safety, and compatibility. Our bipartisan UNLEADED Act will help bridge the information gap by ensuring pilots, instructors, and aviation professionals have the tools they need to safely transition to unleaded fuels as they become available, which will protect public health while supporting a strong general aviation sector.”
“As the general aviation community continues to grow, we must ensure that our pilots and others in the industry are informed about the latest developments in aviation technology, particularly the future of unleaded gasoline for general aviation aircraft,” added Obernolte. “The UNLEADED Act will ensure that the general aviation community is familiar with the current state of certified unleaded fuel alternatives by directing the FAA to establish an educational program on unleaded aviation gasoline. Initiatives such as this one are critical as we move towards the goal of a lead-free general aviation fleet.”
Representatives Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) are original co-sponsors of the UNLEADED Act.
This legislation is supported by general aviation organizations, including the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and Vertical Aviation International (VAI).
“Business aviation is committed to achieving a safe and sustainable transition to a lead-free future, and meaningful progress is already well underway,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “But reaching this goal safely and at scale requires clear, consistent education for pilots, aircraft owners, and fuel providers. The bipartisan UNLEADED Act will help accelerate the adoption of safe, approved unleaded fuels by ensuring the entire aviation community has the information needed to move forward with confidence.”
You can read the full proposal here.
FAA has approved the G100UL from GAMI, and it is a drop in. Just no available in many locations. they choose not to get ASTM International production specification (ASTM D910 or a new, dedicated standard). Which I think is holding them up.
Do the … honorable congrescritters … own an airplane ?
Maybe they are rated to fly piston singles ?
I guess saving the world is a good enough motive. Or do they have friends who can help the FAA spend money to help us stupid pilots become more aware.
Picture shows fuel hose nozzle pouring fuel into tank with no contact of nozzle on filler port. Danger of static electrical fire. Horrible, stupid, uninformed.
Mark My Words . I believe they will wait until the last minute and then SHOVE the Transition down everyone’s throat. We will be forced to switch to unleaded fuel and the resulting engine damage will be put off on the aircraft owners. Unleaded fuel will not be available and we will be STUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Swift fuels has only run one engine up to 400 hours, they say it’s ready to go.
I was at Oshkosh. I listened to what Swift Fuels had to say. They’ve run an engine up to, wait for it. Wait for it 400 hours. One engine. They said it’s ready to go.
They haven’t even run an engine up to 2000 hours yet and they want to push this product onto us.
So a new proposed legislation is telling the FAA to get their act together and do their job and provide updates about unleaded aviation fuel. This information should also be provided by the AOPA but currently they seem to be ignoring it too. I get their magazine every month, but nothing is being said there. Not sure but it seems like almost nothing to report on the quest to find in a drop in replacement for 100LL. We now know that all of the proposed replacements will require an STC to be used in any aircraft.
A drop in replacement currently looks extremely unlikely and will probably not be happening ever, and extreme odds are against it happening by 2030.
Currently this seems to be an unachievable goal which was set by the FAA and the AOPA. We now know this is not going to happen. Why is it that the FAA and AOPA not have a Plan B when they now know it is unachievable. Currently it seems their Plan B is just to ignore the whole situation.