Lycoming Engines will release Service Instruction SI-1070S in the fall, which will add 20 engines to the list of models approved for use on UL 91 unleaded avgas and bringing the total number approved to 55. With the move, Lycoming officials continue to call for UL100 as a fleetwide solution to replacing 100LL. The new […]
Aviation Fuel
California avgas lawsuit fuels surcharge
AVweb is reporting that some California FBOs are imposing a nickel-per-gallon surcharge on 100LL fuel sales to fund a legal defense against an environmental group that’s trying to restrict leaded avgas from the California market. The FBOs, which are part of the California Avgas Coalition, are countersuing the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and the […]
Fly Unleaded to Oshkosh — U2OSH
The Aviation Fuel Club will hold the first-ever Unleaded to Oshkosh event — U2OSH — at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. U2OSH celebrates the 30th anniversary of the FAA’s first approval of lead-free autogas (aka mogas) as an aviation fuel. Any pilot who flies to Oshkosh in an airplane capable of operating on autogas will be […]
New study shows autogas can power 80% of piston aircraft
The Aviation Fuel Club has released initial results from a study that shows between 80% and 83% of the current fleet of piston engine aircraft could safely operate on autogas. First approved by the FAA as an aviation fuel in 1982, autogas (also known as mogas) is ethanol-free, lead-free automotive fuel. Either 87 or 91 […]
A roadmap to finding a new fuel
The transition to an unleaded aviation fuel is still years away, according to the final report from the FAA’s Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT ARC). And whether it is GAMI’s G100UL, Swift Fuels biofuel, or some other alternative, all candidate fuels require “significant assessment” by the FAA to ensure safety, according to the […]
New aircraft fueling certification training available
Aviation Training Academy (ATA) has launched its new online aircraft fueling certification training program directed at FBOs, corporate flight departments, municipalities, fueling agents, line service technicians, or anyone who fuels aircraft or has a fueling operation. The course curriculum includes detailed topics such as Specifications & Distribution of Aviation Fuels, Procedures for Fuel Receipt, Aviation […]
Search for unleaded avgas should turn to Sweden
The U.S. government’s sputtering search for an unleaded fuel for piston-powered general aviation aircraft should focus on Sweden, where the stuff has been made since 1991, says Lars Hjelmberg, founder of Sweden’s Hjelmco Oil. In a report at VenicePatch.com, he contends that more than 90% of the world’s piston aircraft can safely use his unleaded […]
Committee reports on challenges to replacing 100LL
A just-released report from the Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee concludes that a drop-in replacement for leaded 100LL is not available, adding that an additional six years is needed to assess possible replacements. Known as the UAT ARC, the committee is a collaborative industry-government task force representing aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel producers and […]
The effect of lower octane fuel on your airplane
Last week I was watching TV when I heard a loud clap of thunder and saw a flash. This was followed by the lights going out and the very sickening sound of electronics going bye-bye from the computer desk. The next morning the lights were back on, but the computer had sacrificed its life to […]