Visser's Voice

Ben Visser is an aviation fuels and lubricants expert who spent 33 years with Shell Oil. He has been a private pilot since 1985. Asking about the storage life of 100LL and auto gas is like asking a doctor, “How old will I live to be?” For example, a person’s life expectancy is affected by […]

Ben Visser is an aviation fuels and lubricants expert who spent 33 years with Shell Oil. In a recent post I discussed the problems with ethanol and water in a plane’s fuel system. I received a large number of replies and most were very positive. However, I did get a number of negative notes. For […]

Ben Visser is an aviation fuels and lubricants expert who spent 33 years with Shell Oil. He has been a private pilot since 1985. Fuel is an item that is very important for the proper operation of our aircraft. Even though the world is full of “fuel experts,” it is still a bit of a […]

Ben Visser is an aviation fuels and lubricants expert who spent 33 years with Shell Oil. He has been a private pilot since 1985. The most common question I get concerning unleaded avgas is, “why all of the controversy?” In an effort to try to answer that question, I would like to explain the players […]

A few weeks ago I visited AirVenture in Oshkosh. It was no surprise the hot topic of discussion was unleaded avgas. You will be happy to know that panic and ignorance was running rampant. The good news was that the representative from the EPA claimed that there was not a timetable for the removal of […]

How should aircraft owners prepare for the switchover from 100LL to its replacement? In a previous post, I stated that if — or when — 100LL goes away, the only fuel that will be universally available for general aviation will be one that is chemically very similar to 100LL, but without the lead, and an […]

Why don’t FBOs sell auto fuel? When will unleaded avgas be available — and who will sell it? These questions, and more, abound about aviation’s Catch 22: FBOs will not stock unleaded fuels until the market supports it — and the market will not develop until the fuels are readily available. A fuel system at […]

In college, one of my favorite courses was internal combustion engines taught by Prof. Groves. One semester, the main topic of the course was the differences between spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI) engines. After taking the final test, on which we were to compare the advantages of the SI and CI engines, I […]

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense in general aviation. It will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to not fly into a storm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was pilot error. Common Sense lived by simple, sound principals, including “follow the manufacturer’s […]