In my Nov. 23 column, “”What effect does ethanol have on airplanes?””, I tried to answer the question of what to do if you end up accidentally getting some auto gas that contains ethanol in your airplane. I had intended this to be information for people who tried to use non-ethanol containing auto gas, but […]
Visser's Voice
Oregon legislature compromises GA safety with new ethanol law
I believe it was Mark Twain who once said that nothing is safe when the legislature is in session. I believe it was Mark Twain who once said that nothing is safe when the legislature is in session. Well, the state of Oregon just passed House Bill 2210, which requires that once ethanol production in […]
What effect does ethanol have on airplanes?
“”What is the effect of having mixed 10% ethanol with avgas and/or ethanol-free mogas on two or three occasions?”” asks reader Ken Rice. “”The place where I bought ethanol-free mogas lied to us about the change to 10% ethanol. I only found out about it when I asked the tanker driver.”” “”What is the effect […]
Understanding octane
The most interesting and least understood part of a fuel’s properties is the octane quality or number. The most interesting and least understood part of a fuel’s properties is the octane quality or number. The octane requirement of an engine is affected by the combustion chamber shape, the bore size, the compression ratio, the load […]
The difference between 100/130 and 100LL
Dennis writes that he’s been been buying 100LL for many years and thought that 100/130 was different from 100LL. He remembers buying 100/130 one time and it was green, not blue like 100LL. He also noted that the chart for adding TCP to the fuel calls for more additive when 100/130 is used than when 100LL is used.
Stump the expert
Own an antique engine? Own an antique engine? So does Paul Cullman, who has an aircraft with a Salmson 9AD engine built in 1928. The manual for this engine states: “”For summer use mineral oil Mobiloil Aero H and for winter Mobiloil W.”” The manual also states that if the above lubricants are unavailable, in […]
There are no simple answers to complex problems: And no magic pill for unleaded avgas
In my last column I berated the author of a letter to the editor about a simple solution to the unleaded fuel crisis (The definition of insanity, Sept. 7 issue). In my last column I berated the author of a letter to the editor about a simple solution to the unleaded fuel crisis (The definition […]
The definition of insanity: Finding a solution for 100LL requires looking at the facts
In the Aug. 10 issue of GANews there was a letter to the editor in response to my article on unleaded avgas and the insanity of developing a marketable product (Unleaded avgas: You’d have to be insane to try to develop it, June 6 issue). The letter stated “”What’s to develop? Leave out the lead […]
Can I use an SAE 60 oil?
Dan Mooney, who has several round engine aircraft and a Skybolt with a Lycoming IO360A1B engine, has a question: Can he use oil from a drum of Phillips 25W-60 that he has for his round engines in his Skybolt? He concludes with, “”It gets pretty hot around Tulsa, Okla., in the summer.”” Dan Mooney, who […]