Mark Wiley of Murfreesboro, Arkansas,who flies a 1963 Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee, contacted your bloggers some months back when his efforts to lower his costs lead him to mogas. Since then he has obtained a mogas STC from Petersen Aviation, installed a simple fuel system next to his hangar, and found a fuel supplier that brings […]
Aviation Fuel
IEA report suggests lower fuel prices ahead
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading producer of oil by 2020. Due in part to the remarkable yields enabled by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and directional drilling, technology developed since the 1940s, the […]
Jet flies on 100% biofuel
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) recently flew a Falcon 20 jet powered by 100% unblended biofuel. “This historic flight symbolizes a significant step not only for the aerospace industry, but also towards advancing sustainable sources of renewable energy,” officials said in a prepared statement. “I have now flown the world’s first 100% biofuel […]
EPA policies slowing storm recovery
The northeastern region of the U.S. is one of the RFG (Reformulated Gas) Areas where the EPA dictates the use of an oxygenate in gasoline to lower carbon monoxide emissions. In the U.S., ethanol is the most common oxygenate, in addition to it raising a fuel’s AKI (Anti-Knock Index, commonly called octane) rating by about […]
Israel’s CAA endorses mogas
Evidence of the continued worldwide expansion in the use of lead-free, ethanol-free mogas in general aviation comes from this report from Israel. Haim Zaklad, a private pilot there, recently requested details on our study of the FAA’s aircraft registry showing that over 80% of all piston engine aircraft could operate today on lead-free, ethanol-free mogas. […]
BP gives up on cellulosic ethanol
In news that is sure to send shock waves throughout the ethanol industry and the EPA, one of the world’s largest oil companies is shelving plans to produce so-called cellulosic ethanol from non-food plants such as wood chips and switchgrass. As described in an article from the Wall Street Journal, “BP PLC Thursday said it […]
Commodities can lower the cost of flying
Commodities, by one definition, are “mass-produced unspecialized products.” Typical traded commodities include grain, coffee, sugar, pork bellies, feeder cattle, industrial and precious metals, natural gas and oil. They are produced worldwide in enormous quantities, resulting in most cases in far lower real costs than a century ago when limitations to transportation and political barriers to […]
9I0 and HLM add mogas
Pilots in the Midwest have received some good news amidst the rising cost of avgas in recent months. Both the Havana Regional Airport (9I0, Havana, Ill.) and the Park Township Airport (HLM, Holland, Mich.) started mogas sales in recent months. With avgas prices averaging over $6 a gallon across the country, pilots in the Holland […]
Why does 100LL cost so much?
Recently, we received a number of emails concerning the cost of 100LL at various locations, as well as the cost of 100LL vs. Jet A. Obviously, there is still a lot of confusion about this, so I thought I would try to shed some light on the issue. When crude oil arrives at the refinery, […]