Officials at general aviation’s alphabet groups have sent a letter to Congress emphasizing that the FAA is a critical participant in continuing research to develop an unleaded aviation fuel, according to a report at AOPA.org. The letter urges Congressional support for funding in the agency’s fiscal 2013 budget.
Aviation Fuel
The staggering chicken test
In response to a previous column in which I expounded on the problem of exhaust valve recession with unleaded fuels, I received a note from Ron Newberg, which reminded me of work done by the oil companies back in the early 1970s. I actually ran some of these tests, in which we demonstrated that Tri-Cresyl […]
Ever-increasing prices make fuel planning more important
The price of oil has risen nearly 20% in the last six months, to well over $100 a barrel, pushing up aviation fuel costs and forcing pilots to do redouble their focus on fuel planning, according to a report at NBAA.org, which offers several tips on how to deal with the increased costs.
The FBO fuel sales model is broken and anti-competitive
In almost every article about the future of leaded avgas, this statement appears, “… only one fuel will be stocked by the FBO system.” This particular quote comes from a reply by Mac McClellen to Todd Petersen in Mac’s latest Left Seat blog on the EAA’s website. You will also find it in almost every […]
New autogas supplier for Virginia and North Carolina
Reflecting the increasing demand for lead-free autogas at GA airports, Jernigan Oil of Ahoskie, N.C., announced this week its willingness to deliver 93 AKI autogas to any airport in the states of North Carolina or Virginia. Michael Harrell, owner of Jernigan Oil, explains: “I grew up in an aviation family. My father was a crop […]
Eagle Creek Aviation joins Avfuel network
Eagle Creek Aviation Services at Eagle Creek Airport (EYE) near Indianapolis has joined the Avfuel network of FBOs. It now offers Avfuel Contract Fuel, the AVTRIP rewards program, and a variety of additional products. Services include fuel, quick turns, hangars, maintenance, weather, GPUs, and more, including a pilot lounge area, flight planning facilities and use […]
Map of airports with autogas now online
Thanks to GAfuels blogger Dean Billing, a map of all the airports that offer lead-free, ethanol-free autogas is now available at this link. Hovering over a marker will show you the airport’s identifier. Selecting a marker will open the relevant page of airport information. This map uses data found in a comprehensive list of these […]
Ethanol free fuel now at Sonoma Jet Center
Sonoma Jet Center now sells ethanol-free 91 octane unleaded gasoline for use in aircraft at the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, Calif. “We are excited to be the first full service jet center in California to sell ethanol-free unleaded gasoline for aircraft. We are pleased to offer our customers […]
Do fuel prices affect hours flown?
Does the price we pay for fuel have a direct influence on how much we operate our airplanes, cars, and boats? According to an article that appeared in the EAA’s November 2011 issue of Sport Aviation (“My $.02 on $6 Avgas”), the price of avgas is less important than one might think. Author Mike Busch […]