By DEAN BILLING. Late in 2011, a little known environmental organization, perhaps totally unknown in aviation circles, Center For Environmental Health (CEH) filed a lawsuit against “30 companies that sell and/or distribute lead-containing aviation gas (avgas) at 23 California airports, calling on the companies to provide safer alternative fuels.” At the time, there was some fanfare in […]
avgas
The difference between 100LL and 100/130LL
In my last column, I proposed a way to get the lead out of 100LL — or at least out of the name. I received a number of responses, both pro and con. I always appreciate both types of comments and try to learn from them. I would like to address just one of the negative […]
EPIC Aviation teams with UAS International Trip Support
UAS International Trip Support and EPIC Aviation, an aviation fuel supplier, have formed an alliance that allows EPIC cardholders, who have access to more than 5,000 EPIC FBOs and merchants, access to UAS’s international network of 3,000 locations and regional operations teams. UAS customers will have priority access at all EPIC locations in North America. “UAS has a distinct […]
Phase 1 testing begins on unleaded avgas
Phase 1 testing of four possible replacements for 100LL begins this month at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City. The four unleaded fuels — one from Shell, one from TOTAL, and two from Swift Fuels — will undergo laboratory and rig testing to analyze a number of factors, including materials compatibility […]
Shell Aviation: A decade of research continues
Last December, Shell Aviation revealed that it was the first major oil company to develop a lead-free replacement for 100LL. The lead-free formulation is the result of 10 years of “exhaustive R&D,” according to company officials. While some worry that large companies will forsake GA as it is such as small segment of the fuels market, Shell […]
Search for 100LL replacement raises many questions
When I started to write this post on unleaded avgas, I sat down to read about the upcoming evaluation program for four candidate fuels. The more I read the more questions it raised. For instance, why does Swift Fuels have two candidates? But the biggest question concerned the percentage of the piston aviation fleet that the new […]
New self-serve fuel facility opens at 3CK
A new above ground fuel facility offering pilots the ability to refuel their own aircraft has opened at the Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK) in Illinois. The facility, which allows the airport to offer fuel sales at any time of the night and day, consists of two 10,000-gallon steel double-wall tanks which weigh in at […]
The future of fuels
Fuel is the lifeblood of aircraft and pilots. Most aircraft need it to power their engines; pilots need it, in the form of oxygen and proper nutrition, to power themselves. The November issues of General Aviation News will turn the spotlight on fuels — all kinds — and look at the current state of affairs, as well as what […]
Crown Consulting tapped by FAA to help in search for unleaded avgas
The FAA has awarded Crown Consulting a five-year $12.5 million contract to assist the agency’s Aviation Fuel and Engine Test Facility (AFETF) at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center in performing research, test, and engineering analysis to develop standards and aid in selecting unleaded gasoline for general aviation. The company “will play a critical part in the scientific […]